


The Way You Said "I Love You"

by yamayamawrites



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Feel-good, Some Fluff, Some angst, Tumblr Prompt, maybe some pwp, not sure what im doing really, the way you said "i love you"
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:34:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23545462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamayamawrites/pseuds/yamayamawrites
Summary: Marinette and Adrien had a strange relationship. They had become great friends over the course of high school and college, and despite how much Marinette insisted her crush was gone and buried, it would occasionally rear its head. Finally, she gets sick of waiting to say how she feels.A series of prompts from Tumblr user mottainaiiii about ways to say "I love you". Find the original prompt here: https://mottainaiiii.tumblr.com/post/132858041745/the-way-you-said-i-love-you
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 16
Kudos: 91





	1. As a Hello

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading! This is originally based off a prompt list created by tumblr user mottainaiiii, and I've left a link to the original post in the summary if you want to go back and see! I decided after literal years of being dormant that I would come back (under a new pseud because I'm lame) and write some more. Thank you if you've supported my work in the past! I hope you enjoy!

Marinette and Adrien had been dancing around an important topic for weeks now. That important topic was _feelings._ Specifically, how they felt about each other. Because after that night at Alya’s, they certainly weren’t just the close friends they thought they were.

After high school, Marinette and Adrien found themselves attending the same university – both on a scholarship that was too good to pass up. Despite how insistent Adrien’s father was on paying for Adrien to go to the best university France had to offer, Adrien continually told him that he wanted to make his way through university without financial help. That didn’t stop Adrien’s father from paying Adrien’s monthly rent at his apartment, but luckily it stopped him from interfering anywhere else.

Nino wasn’t going to university. In his last year of high school, his music career took off when one of his songs played on Paris’s most popular radio station. He moved closer to the coast and out of the city of Paris, and Alya followed him. She attended classes online while she worked full-time as an intern at a journalism company.

This is all to say that the four best friends they’d come to be during their last year of high school had split up, and by the end of their first semester of university, there was a certain pain of something missing that drew them back together.

Marinette had stopped Adrien one day on campus walking out of a different classroom than her. “Hey!” she chirped and, noticing the dark bags under his eyes, assumed he’d just left his last final exam. “Uh, you alright?”

Adrien laughed in response, a bit dazed. “Oh, yeah. Doin’ great. I got a whole hour of sleep last night!”

Marinette laughed back, gently touching his arm. The way friends did. “Well, I’m sure you could use the rest. I was stopping you to…” she tried to recall why she’d stopped him, actually. “Oh! Oh yeah! Alya called last night and invited me out to her and Nino’s apartment for a bit during the break. She told me to ask you – she doesn’t have your number.”

Now that was a lie, Marinette well knew. Alya had _everyone’s_ number. Alya still insisted on trying to set the couple up together, despite both of them believing they were better off as close friends. They seemed to be the only two who believed that to be true.

Adrien leaned in towards her, the way friends do. “Oh, that sounds great! I’ll drive?”

“Well, since you offered,” Marinette giggled. Adrien enjoyed giving Marinette rides when they went out of town together – which for some reason happened quite often now that Adrien had no photo shoots to worry about and Marinette worked mostly remote. “Pick me up after you take a nap, handsome,” she teased and ruffled his hair, the way friends do.

“’Course. I’ll call you before I leave?” he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, the way friends do.

“You better!” Marinette said as she turned around, smiling her entire walk back to her bike.

* * *

The entire drive there, Marinette and Adrien listened to the pop music station, counting how many times Nino’s music came on.

“God, I just can’t believe how famous he got so quickly,” Adrien sighed. “I’m so proud of him.”

Marinette smiled. Adrien genuinely cared for every person in his life, she learned. Even when Chloe first appeared on television, despite Adrien’s annoyance with her, he called her and congratulated her. It made Marinette appreciate the people in her life more.

Adrien began singing along to one of Nino’s songs, quietly at first, then building confidence as Marinette sang with him. Before long, the two were bellowing the song as loudly as they could, laughing at each other’s expressiveness.

They arrived to Nino’s and Alya’s apartment late that evening, and perhaps it was the relief of getting to fully rest after finals week that made Adrien and Marinette so nonchalant about the fact that the third bedroom in the apartment didn’t have a bed for one of them to take. Neither Adrien nor Marinette would offer themselves to take the couch (which was notoriously uncomfortable), and as a result, they slept together in the guest room.

The following morning Marinette woke up first, and the embarrassment of actually _sleeping_ with Adrien set in. She cringed at her stubbornness the night before and quietly grabbed her clothes. She changed in the bathroom and met Alya in the kitchen. Alya smirked her knowing smirk, her mind already swirling with theories of what had happened the night before.

“Shut up,” Marinette groaned before Alya could even open her mouth. Alya just laughed in response and passed her a mug of coffee.

* * *

Adrien and Marinette ended up staying for about a week. Alya and Nino announced that they were having a Christmas party the night before Adrien and Marinette were planning on leaving. That excited Marinette; she hadn’t gotten the chance to meet all of the quirky people Alya worked with, but she practically knew their life stories considering how often Alya called to gossip about them. There was Monique, who had too many cats; Adeline and Thomas were in some sort of “on again off again” relationship; and her personal favorite that Marinette desperately hoped to meet was Cindy, who apparently did something crazy every single weekend. Last week, in honor of Christmas coming up, she dyed half her hair white and the other half red.

The group spent most of that Saturday decorating the apartment with cheesy Christmas decorations Nino had bought on sale some time ago. Marinette helped Alya bake cookies for the party, and Adrien and Nino made a quick snack run to prepare.

The party itself was relatively small. Sadly Marinette didn’t get to meet Cindy; she texted Alya just an hour before and said that she was going to Ireland on a surprise trip with her boyfriend. She did, however, meet Thomas and Adeline, who were apparently “off again” that day, because they refused to speak to each other. About halfway through the party, they seemed to be “on again” because they excused themselves to the bedroom to talk for a while.

Marinette didn’t hear any talking, but that wasn’t her business.

Nino had a couple friends come over as well. A few lesser-known musicians, mostly, who Marinette might have been able to recognize one song by. The group of them mostly sat around the living room – Adrien’s arm draped around Marinette’s shoulders, and Marinette leaning into him, like friends do – and played Cards Against Humanity. Each of them had a drink in hand (Marinette didn’t know when Alya got so good at mixing drinks, but she didn’t question it).

Thomas and Adeline left first, followed by a few of Nino’s friends and Monique (who said she had to go feed her cats). Alya and Nino were cleaning something up in the kitchen, and Adrien and Marinette were chatting nonchalantly on the couch, his arm still around her. Sitting in a chair across the room was the last of Nino’s friends (maybe his name was Peter? Marinette couldn’t remember), who was putting the cards back into the box. Finally, he looked up at them and said, “You two are really cute. How long have you been together?”

Adrien’s first instinct was to laugh, and Marinette’s was to push herself away from Adrien’s side. “We’re not dating,” they said in unison, Marinette sounding frightened and Adrien amused.

“Wow, really? Exes?”

“Uh, no,” Marinette squeaked out.

“Huh,” he shrugged. “Well, whatever you’ve got, I wish I had it.” He finished packing up the box. “Merry Christmas. Nice to meet you two.”

“Nice to meet you,” they responded, again in unison, and he went into the kitchen to say goodbye to Nino.

Adrien returned his attention to Marinette. “Do you think he’s got a point?” he asked thoughtfully.

“A-about what?”

“We’d make a really hot couple,” he teased, poking at her side. She laughed, a bit nervously, standing up and turning away.

“I’m gonna go see if they need any help,” she said, walking out of the room.

Later that night, Marinette offered to sleep on the couch.

* * *

The car ride home the next morning was quiet. Neither of them sang along to the music, they simply put on Nino’s Christmas album and listened. At one point Adrien tried to ask if Marinette was okay, but she just squeaked and nodded quickly. He knew her well enough to know that everything was not okay, but he was oblivious that he might be causing it.

Marinette had been up all night thinking about how she truly felt about Adrien. Sure, she’d had a massive crush on him, but she strongly believed that she’d grown out of it. Plus, did they _really_ look like a couple? Friends were close with each other, right? They enjoyed sitting close to each other, and calling each other “handsome” and “beautiful”, and jokingly holding hands, and sleeping in the same bed – like friends do, right?

She buried her face in her hands. _Not_ like friends do. Like _boyfriends_ and _girlfriends_ do.

Adrien dropped her off in front of her apartment, offering to walk her upstairs, but she shook her head and excused herself, saying she felt sick. He once again offered to walk her up, as that was more of a reason to walk her upstairs, but still she declined.

* * *

He texted her Christmas morning to wish her a ‘ _Merry Christmas, beautiful!’_ and she responded with _‘Merry Christmas!’_

Other than that, they did not talk. And it drove Marinette crazy.

The first day of winter semester, she texted Adrien and asked to meet him at the campus café after class. He agreed, and she made the decision that she couldn’t take the way she felt. Adrien needed to know.

She would just spit it out. Then, she wouldn’t have to think of what to say. Just… “I love you.” That’s all it took. She could do it.

She couldn’t do it. Adrien had already gotten her a caramel coffee, she could see it sitting on the table in front of him, and she couldn’t take how sweet he was. Did she really want to risk everything just so he knew how she felt?

Her inner battle to decide what to do continued even as she sat down at the table. Adrien smiled over at her. “Hey, how was your first class?”

“I love you,” she said, a bit more aggressively than she meant to.

“I,” Adrien’s cheeks flushed. “Uh, I love you too? You’re like my best friend—”

“No, Adrien,” she shook her head. Her cheeks were warm and she could tell her face was nearly as red as her shirt. “I love you. I love being close to you, and calling each other pet names, and – I just, I’m in love with you.”

“I…” Adrien, for the first time, stumbled over his words. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything, I just needed to say that to you—”

“I think I’m in love with you, too.”

The words hung in the air for a moment. Marinette blinked. Adrien blinked back. Both seemed a bit shocked by the words that had come out of Adrien’s mouth. Finally, Marinette processed what he’d said. “I…you…huh?”

“Well, I love all of that stuff too. And I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t turned down like, a hundred girls because I didn’t want to lose time with you,” he rubbed his neck sheepishly.

Marinette laughed, then, surprising both of them. “Oh my gosh,” she buried her face in her hands. “We’re idiots. Have we just been dating this whole time?”

Adrien laughed back. “Uh, maybe?”

“Do you want to go on a proper date, then?”

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”


	2. With a Hoarse Voice, Under the Blankets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette is very sick and Adrien just wants to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! Thanks for the awesome reception to this story already! Agh, I'm so thankful for your support. Anyways, I finished all my online classes for the week and have time to kill so here's another chapter! I decided to make this fic an ongoing story rather than just one-shots because it's more fun trying to write a cohesive story. That said, I am rearranging some of the prompts on the list - but I WILL still write all of them!

Marinette perhaps had the worst luck ever.

Just two days into the winter semester, she managed to get very incredibly sick with a fever she just couldn’t kick. And wow, did Adrien think that maybe she’d changed her mind and was embarrassed to admit that she just wanted to go back to the really close friends they were – until she FaceTimed him.

Marinette and Adrien FaceTimed rather often even before they started dating, but now it was at least once a day that one of them was calling the other – occasionally just following dinner dates or lunch dates – because they thought of one other thing they hadn’t talked about. But Adrien hadn’t heard from Marinette for a few days, and he was beginning to believe Marinette was avoiding her problems like she tended to do, but then she called.

Her face was flushed. Her cheeks were bright red, and sweat beaded on her forehead, but she lay covered in a mountain of blankets. She wore a loopy smile and bobbed her head to the noise of the phone ringing, and her head continued to bob as Adrien answered. “Oh my God, Marinette, are you alright?”

“Heeeeey,” she sang, giggling a bit. “I’m a little sicky,” she mumbled.

“You’re a lot sicky, it looks like,” Adrien’s heart softened. Marinette never stayed sick for long from what he knew, but she looked awful and he guessed that she wasn’t getting the proper care she needed. “Do you want me to bring you some medicine, sweetheart?”

“No!” Marinette pouted. She puffed out her lip and everything. If she didn’t look on the brink of death, Adrien would have thought it was adorable. “Bring me…aminal crackers.”

“You mean ‘animal’ crackers?”

“No!” she pouted again. “Aminal. With the frosting.”

He chuckled softly. “Okay, okay. I’ll be there in a bit. Make sure the door is unlocked for me, okay?”

“Climb in the window,” Marinette mumbled back, and she promptly fell asleep.

Adrien hung up the phone and left campus – despite having another class before the end of the day – and walked to the nearest corner store. Surely they would have both frosted animal crackers and flu medicine, right?

He was unfortunately mistaken. Four stores later and he finally found some animal crackers, and he’d be damned if he didn’t buy every single package they had. So what if Marinette had been drowsy and out of it? He was going to spoil her with the only thing he knew she wanted right now.

Before he left the store, he also grabbed a few more sweets, some Kraft mac and cheese boxes, and a case of water. Couldn’t hurt, right?

When he arrived, he was grateful to find that Marinette had indeed made sure the door was unlocked and he wouldn’t have to climb through the window. He set down his grocery bags on her kitchen counter and shivered; the temperature in the apartment had been turned down to a cool sixteen degrees Celsius (61 degrees Fahrenheit). He turned the temperature up a bit and walked down the hall, being careful to not step on the various blankets and clothing that had been carelessly tossed around.

“Mari?” Adrien called out. “Hey, I brought you animal crackers, and some medicine.”

A grumble came from the bedroom, and Adrien pushed open the door. Marinette was under a hefty pile of blankets, with just her head poking out. Her face was still flushed but her eyes were open now, and she looked around the room with a vacant sort of expression. Her eyes settled on Adrien and she smiled a bit. “Oh, honey bunches!” she said excitedly, reaching out towards him weakly. He sat down on the edge of her bed and brushed the sweat-slicked hair away from her face.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he murmured softly. “How do you feel?”

Marinette thought about this, her brow furrowing in concentration as she tried to determine how she felt. Finally, she settled on: “Quaint.”

“You feel…quaint?”

“Yes!”

“Okay…well, are you hungry? Thirsty? I got you those animal crackers like you asked.”

Marinette made a noise of pure glee and clapped her hands together under the blankets, then breathed heavily, as if the effort of clapping had exhausted her. Adrien watched in pity; he’d never seen Marinette this sick, and he wished a thousand times it could be him and not her. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, then went back to the kitchen to retrieve some animal crackers.

Before coming back, he also grabbed the medicine he’d brought and rifled through Marinette’s bathroom cabinet for a thermometer. He wasn’t sure the last time she checked her temperature, but he was genuinely worried that she might need to go to the hospital. He knocked on the door before entering again, and when he did he found Marinette limply throwing blankets off of herself and onto the floor.

“You too warm, Mari?” Adrien asked softly. She nodded pitifully and threw another blanket, then another. Adrien wondered how she had so many blankets. He set down the items he’d grabbed and helped her peel off the remaining layers, finding the girl in just a tank top and short shorts beneath it all.

Before they’d been a “couple”, Adrien had seen her dressed in less; a few times they had utilized their campus pool’s open swim hours as a way to cool off during the abnormally warm fall months. However, now that they were a “couple”, he felt a blush creep to his face and he looked away. Marinette, of course, didn’t notice.

“Aminal crackers?” Marinette asked quietly, and Adrien quickly passed her the bowl of animal crackers, still avoiding eye contact. She happily munched on one, chewing very deliberately.

“When’s the last time you took your temperature, sweetheart?” Adrien asked softly, glancing over at Marinette carefully.

Marinette contemplated this with a full head-tilt and chin-tap. “Oh!” she raised her finger to the air finally. “I think it was…one…thousand!” She laughed giddily and put another animal cracker in her mouth. Adrien sighed and pressed his hand to her forehead. She closed her eyes and scrunched her nose at him.

“I’m going to take your temperature, Marinette. Is that alright?” he asked, reaching for the thermometer. Marinette nodded and continued eating animal crackers while Adrien tucked the thermometer into her armpit.

Marinette giggled that the thermometer tickled, and Adrien urged her to hold still. Finally the thermometer beeped and he quickly looked at it. 38.6 degrees Celsius (101.5 degrees Fahrenheit). “Oh honey,” Adrien frowned. “You must really not be feeling good…”

“I feel great!” Marinette chirped back, then grabbed at her head. “Well, I feel quaint.”

Adrien couldn’t help but laugh a little at his disoriented girlfriend. “Okay, okay. Can you do something for me?”

“What is it?”

“I need you to take a pill, okay?”

Marinette’s lip puffed out into a frown. “Is it big?” she asked.

“Oh, no no no,” Adrien shook his head. “I grabbed the smallest ones I could find.

“Okay, I guess,” Marinette huffed. Adrien carefully helped her sit up and put the pill in her hands, then gave her a bottle of water.

Adrien stayed there and spoke softly to her while she finished her beloved animal crackers. He refused to leave until she finished her water, as well, to which she whined and complained but eventually complied. Soon after that her eyes began to droop, and no matter how much she insisted she was awake and a functioning adult, each word dripped off her tongue more slowly and sweetly. Adrien pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead once more, tucked her in with two blankets (the rest he folded neatly and placed nearby in case she needed them), and left her to rest.

* * *

Adrien hadn’t meant to spend the night at Marinette’s apartment. Yet, he woke up on her couch in the clothes from the day before, shivering a bit because he didn’t have a blanket (Marinette had taken literally every blanket in the apartment). He got up and stretched, wincing as he felt a soreness that came from sleeping on such an uncomfortable couch. He wandered his way into Marinette’s kitchen and began making breakfast for both himself and Marinette.

Adrien crept sleepily down the hallway, carefully pushing open the door to Marinette’s bedroom with his back. In the night, Marinette had kicked away the two blankets Adrien had wrapped her in and instead grabbed three others, then kicked one of those away, as well. Adrien set the two plates on Marinette’s desk and gently pushed the hair away from her face, pressing a soft kiss to her exposed cheek. “Hey, princess,” he cooed in a gentle voice. “I brought you breakfast.”

Marinette’s breath hitched softly and she rolled over to face Adrien, her eyes slowly opening and her brow furrowing at the light coming in through her bedroom window. “Mm, what is it?”

“I made scrambled eggs and toast,” Adrien beamed proudly. Marinette smiled and let her eyes drift closed again.

“Ten more minutes,” she whispered in a groggy voice.

“Your food will get cold,” Adrien replied gently.

“Mm,” Marinette whined in response. Adrien left the room, taking both plates with him, and he placed Marinette’s plate in her microwave to hopefully keep it somewhat warm. As if on cue, ten minutes later, Marinette called to him from her bedroom. “Adrien?”

“Just a second, dear,” he replied, putting his own empty plate in the sink and taking her plate to her. Marinette was sitting up, now, with her blankets pulled to her chin. She looked much better than she did the previous night, but she looked frail, like if Adrien touched her she would crumble in on herself.

“I love you,” Marinette croaked from her spot in the blankets. “I love you,” she repeated, as if he hadn’t heard her.

“And I love you,” he responded, bowing cheekily and extending the plate of food to her. “It’s no animal cracker, but I think you’ll like it all the same,” he teased.

She laughed a little and winced, grabbing at her head. She responded to Adrien’s look of concern with, “Headache.” Adrien nodded and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“Don’t forget to take your medicine,” Adrien murmured. “I’ve got to go home and change for class. Call me immediately if you need anything, okay?”

“M’kay,” she murmured back. He left her breakfast on the bedside table next to her, insisted she remember to stay hydrated once more, told her again to call him if she needed him, and reluctantly, he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'm so excited to actually finish something - usually when I write I have no idea where I want to go, but using a prompt list helps me determine where the story is going and when. Maybe I should use this method more often!  
> Anyways, thank you again and I hope you enjoy!


	3. A Scream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alya and Nino get engaged, and Marinette and Adrien have a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thanks so much for reading! I'm having so much fun with this series and I hope you're enjoying it as well!

The squealing of Marinette’s best friend in her ear woke her up on a lazy Sunday during their summer vacation. She had sleepily held the phone up to her ear, barely muttering a “hello?” before Alya practically erupted on the other side of the line.

Marinette sat straight up. “Oh my god, wait. Repeat that. You’re joking.”

“No, no I’m not joking! Nino proposed!”

Marinette squealed as well, and soon the girls were contesting each other for whose squeal would be loudest. Finally regaining her posture, Marinette began to drill Alya with questions. Alya was _not_ shy with the details, and the conversation ended up being somewhere close to three hours.

Marinette thought she had sorted the timeline out, but Alya had jumped around in her storytelling so much that she wasn’t sure. From the sounds of it, she and Nino went to the park – Nino said it was a last-minute charity concert – and when they got there a large stage had been set up and everything. So Nino disappeared to do whatever he does to prepare (“Right?” Alya asked, and Marinette responded “Right,” trying to follow along). There was a smaller crowd than was typical of these charity concerts, Alya noted, but she didn’t think anything suspicious of it.

Then Nino opened with her favorite song, the one called _Alya_ that Nino had written so long ago when he asked Alya to prom their senior year, and he ended the song by calling her up onto the stage and proposing right then and there.

Then Alya went into excruciating detail about the _sex_ they had afterwards.

Marinette laughed, a little uncomfortably; Alya had always been the oversharing type. She usually didn’t mind it, but currently she and Adrien were in a position that had her sexual frustration piquing; they’d been together five months now, and the most they’d done was some heavy petting as a celebration to the end of finals week.

Alya must have noticed, because after she finished (both her story and _in_ her story), she pestered about it. “Mari, tell me you’ve done it!”

Of course, right after the two had first gotten together Alya was the first person Marinette called, and the amount of ‘I told you so’s she received from her friend _almost_ made Marinette regret telling her. Since then, Alya has pestered about every detail of their love life, but mostly their sex life. Which, of course, was still nonexistent.

Alya took Marinette’s silence to mean just that. “Girl, you two have _got_ to do something. It’s been five months of real dating and oh, a year and a half of fake-dating.” She used the term “fake dating” to represent the years that she and Adrien had acted like a couple without actually being a couple.

“I’m as frustrated as you are!” Marinette groaned.

They discussed Marinette’s frustration for a while, then cycled through their usual topics – jobs, classes, etc. Alya proudly announced that she’d finished her online classes and her diploma would come in the mail later that month, and Marinette congratulated her friend, wishing that she, too, could be finishing up school.

Just before hanging up, Alya squealed, “Oh! I almost forgot why I even freaking called!”

“So you didn’t call to tell me you got engaged?” Marinette teased.

“Well yes, that too. But Nino and I are throwing an engagement party, and yours and Adrien’s presences are absolutely required! No exceptions!”

“We will be there! No exceptions!”

* * *

Marinette and Adrien ended up getting a hotel room and staying for a few days. The four met for lunch after the two checked into their hotel room, and Alya flaunted her quite large diamond ring to Marinette. Adrien continuously congratulated the couple, and over the course of lunch they discussed wedding plans.

“Well, obviously I’m getting a designer dress from a certain someone,” Alya winked.

Marinette’s face fell slack. “Oh, really? Who?” she asked as enthusiastically as she could.

“You!” Alya laughed. “Girl, did you really think I’d have anyone else do it?”

Marinette perked up once more, giggling a bit at her own foolishness. “Oh gosh, I have so many sketches. I brought my sketchbook with me but it’s in the hotel room!”

“We’ll go through them later,” Alya beamed.

“We’re so, so happy for you,” Adrien said. He had a smile on his face that hadn’t left since Nino called him and told him.

“Thank you,” they chimed back, leaning into each other comfortably. Alya sat up straighter after a moment and looked seriously between the two.

“We actually took you out to lunch because we wanted to ask—”

“Will you be our maid of honor and best man?” Nino asked breathlessly, and Alya nudged him with her elbow in annoyance, but there was a loving smile on her face.

“What he said,” she laughed softly.

Marinette and Adrien were a bit taken aback. “You don’t have to respond now—” Nino began, but was cut off by a chiming of “Yes!” from the couple sitting across from them.

“Of course of course of course!” Marinette squealed excitedly, reaching for her friend’s hand over the table. Adrien grinned wider than before, if that was possible.

* * *

The day of the party, Marinette awoke early to take a shower. She reluctantly left a peaceful Adrien, hair flopped in front of his face, and strategically left the bathroom door open as she changed. She turned the shower on and hopped in, faintly hearing the sound of Adrien’s morning alarm.

Sure enough, Adrien sleepily padded into the bathroom a few moments later to pee, apparently barely registering that Marinette was currently showering and also completely naked. Once he’d finished, she peeked her head around the curtain, startling him as he saw her face in the mirror. Immediately a blush spread across his cheeks and he looked away, yelling an apology over the sound of the water. Marinette just laughed.

“Wanna hop in? It’ll save water,” she teased, and the blush spread further.

“N-no, I’ll shower when you’re done.” With that, Adrien quickly left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Marinette, confused and a little offended, finished washing her hair and stepped out.

She realized after toweling off that her clothes for the day weren’t in the bathroom. She groaned inwardly, not wanting to disturb Adrien – especially after he’d reacted that way to walking in on her. Was he embarrassed? Did he not want to move too quickly? Did he not _want_ her?

She wanted to think she was overreacting to the situation, but she saw Adrien’s face – he genuinely looked terrified. She must have been taking a while in the bathroom, because a gentle knock came to the door as she thought through all the possible answers to why Adrien had acted so strangely.

The knock made her jump. “Hey, Mari?” Adrien asked softly.

“Y-yeah! What’s up?”

“Are you okay? You’ve been in there a while…”

“Um…yeah! ‘M fine! My clothes are just—”

She felt like she could hear Adrien tense through the door. She tensed, as well, and her eyes stung. Was she really that _repulsive_?

“—they’re in the drawer. Can you bring me something?”

“I, yeah,” he responded in a slightly breathy tone. He brought her a pair of jeans and a sweater – no underwear or bra, Marinette thought stubbornly – and asked if he could trade with her and take a shower. She nodded and took her things out of the bathroom.

Adrien closed and locked the door behind him.

Marinette sighed and tried to breathe, suddenly feeling like she couldn’t get enough air. She sat down and put her head in her hands, still wrapped in just a towel, until she heard the shower stop and hastily dressed herself. She scribbled a note on the note pad on the bedside table saying she’d gone for breakfast. Adrien didn’t follow her.

* * *

Luckily, the group had planned to spend the afternoon together preparing for the party. Like they’d done for the Christmas party, Marinette and Alya stayed at the apartment and baked while Nino and Adrien went and grabbed snacks and drinks. In his absence, Marinette found it the perfect opportunity to talk about what had happened that morning.

Alya clung to every word, wincing at the parts where Marinette choked up. Still, Marinette told herself not to cry, it probably wasn’t even a big deal – at least, that was what she hoped.

“I just don’t know,” Marinette whispered feebly when she finished, and Alya rubbed her shoulder (accidentally getting flour on her shirt in the process).

“Girl, he’s stupid if he can’t see how attractive you are. Maybe he’s just not ready for that.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“Did you ask him about it?”

“No, I took off for breakfast before he got out of the shower. By the time I got back we were leaving to come here.”

Alya nodded in understanding and was about to reply when the door swung open. “We got Doritos!” Nino chirped happily, Adrien following behind him and avoiding making any sort of eye contact with Marinette. She looked back down at the cookie dough she’d been rolling out while she talked; it was practically paper thin now. She sighed, folded it back together, and began the process once more.

Alya glanced worriedly between the couple. Even in high school, they’d never been like _this_ ; neither of them had ever been upset enough with the other to not speak to them. She hoped the problem would resolve itself, but if it didn’t, she would have to intervene.

* * *

The party was much more crowded than their Christmas party. Nino and Alya’s apartment wasn’t small by any means, but now it felt small, with a huge crowd of people – including both Nino’s and Alya’s families. Marinette enjoyed chatting with Alya’s younger sister and catching up, and Adrien caught up with Nino’s parents. They had the perfect excuse to ignore each other.

Nino’s friend – the one that had asked how long Marinette and Adrien were dating – was “DJ-ing” the party, if you could call it that. He had plugged in his phone to play music, essentially, and set up a playlist of Nino’s songs as well as songs that Alya and Nino enjoyed. At some point, to avoid Adrien further, Marinette approached him.

“Oh, hey, I remember you,” he spoke loudly to be heard over the music. “You’re…Marinette, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she smiled, feeling a little bad that she didn’t quite remember his name. “And you’re…Peter?”

“Right!” he smiled. She inwardly sighed with relief that she’d remembered correctly. “You and that blond still playing coy?” he asked with a lopsided, teasing smile.

Marinette’s face paled a bit and she looked around to see if she could find him. “Uh, it’s…complicated.”

“I know how that goes,” he whistled. “One night stand? Now you can’t even look at each other?”

 _Just the opposite_ , Marinette thought bitterly. “No, actually. We got together, but…it’s weird.”

He just shrugged. “Glad to hear you’re together. Bummer it’s weird. I don’t know enough to intervene.”

“I appreciate the sentiment,” Marinette responded. She finally spotted Adrien; he was sitting on the couch, staring down into his red solo cup. She really did just want to talk to him, but she was scared to approach him after she ran away earlier. After he ran away then she ran away. What exactly even _happened_? Were they goddamn _children_?

She huffed at the realization that both of them were being extremely stupid and parted ways with Peter. He returned his attention to queueing music while she pushed past people using the living room as a dance floor. As she pushed by them, she imagined how much Nino and Alya’s neighbors must hate them. Finally she made it to the couch, flopping down next to Adrien as casually as she could. He tensed a bit.

“Hey,” she called over the music.

“Hey,” he responded sheepishly.

“What happened this morning?” Marinette had made a habit of jumping directly to the point with Adrien, especially after the bluntness of her confession.

“I, uh,” Adrien stalled, and Marinette took it as a sign to continue talking.

“Was I too straightforward? Did I make you uncomfortable?” The strain on Marinette’s voice was back and once again she had to will herself not to cry. There was a perfectly good explanation, she was sure of it.

“I…” Adrien seemed to be trying to process his next sentence carefully. Marinette waited, now, looking up at him. He refused to look back at her, instead settling for staring into his cup again. “I just haven’t been in a serious relationship before.”

“That sounds like a bullshit excuse,” Marinette said rather bluntly, then threw a hand over her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but it was true; Adrien and her relationship was exactly like their friendship, except with kisses. “Sorry,” she added.

“No, you’re right,” Adrien called back. “I—I can’t quite explain it. I just…” he sighed. “I _really_ want you, Mari.”

Marinette blushed. That’s definitely the opposite of what she expected. “You…you do?”

“I do. I really do.”

“Then why don’t you do something about it?”

“I don’t want to hurt you?”

“Now that sounds even goofier than the first one,” she laughed, and for the first time that day, Adrien did, too.

“I kind of want to take things slow, I guess. It scares me how much I’m into you.”

“Now, to be fair, we were _practically_ dating before all this…”

Adrien laughed again. “I guess I’m just trying to hold myself back.”

“Well, stop it,” Marinette teased.

“Okay.”

Marinette leaned up to peck Adrien on the cheek but was instead met with his lips crashing into hers in a way that she rarely felt from him. His fingers tangled in her hair and forced their lips to remain connected in a rough yet oddly gentle way. He licked his tongue over her bottom lip and her lips parted, allowing him access. Luckily, the noises both of them made were swallowed by the loud music around them.

Adrien pulled back then, fingers still in Marinette’s hair, his chest heaving from the intensity of the kiss. Marinette’s eyes fluttered open and her cheeks were bright pink, and she pressed her forehead to Adrien’s. “I love you,” he shouted over the music.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once again for reading! The next chapter DOES have some smut (actually it's like, all smut) so if you're not interested in reading that, please skip that chapter! I'll make another reminder at the beginning of the next chapter, as well. I hope you're all enjoying this series as much as I am!


	4. With a Shuddering Gasp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien's first time. NOTE: This chapter features explicit content! Please skip this chapter if you aren't comfortable with the content!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thanks so much for continuing to support this fic! I'm really pleased with the direction it's going, and I hope you all enjoy it too! Like the chapter summary says, this chapter DOES feature explicit content with little to no advancement of the plot, so if you wouldn't like to read this chapter, please skip ahead to the next chapter!

Adrien and Marinette stumbled into the hotel room together after Nino and Alya’s party, laughing about some stupid pun Adrien had made in the car. After their conversation at the party, things went right back to normal – and honestly, it was better than normal, because Adrien had a tendency to hold back on kisses or little touches. Now, with Marinette’s explicit permission, he made a game of playfully grabbing at her and seeing how far he could go until he got caught.

A few times Adrien squeezed Marinette’s thigh while they danced, and once he grabbed her butt, and each time Marinette jumped, blushed, and laughed. It made her happy that Adrien was so comfortable with her now. That was all she could ever want.

Plus, the ability to do it back was a huge plus.

A few times Marinette managed to grab Adrien’s ass and he jumped in surprise, turning to find his girlfriend cracking up at the look on his face. She truly enjoyed the way he looked when he was just embarrassed enough to blush. Was sadism the proper term? No, not even close, she could never hurt him; she continued to contemplate what the word for this might be when Adrien pulled her close to him by the waist. Their chests pressed flush together, both of them heavily breathing from the amount of laughing they’d been doing.

Adrien had a look in his eyes that Marinette hadn’t quite had the pleasure of seeing before. She wondered absently if this was the look he would have made if he wasn’t so scared to hurt her that morning when she was in the shower. She wondered if he would have thrown back the shower curtains and gotten in there with her, still in his pajamas, just to grab her—

“Hey,” Adrien murmured in a smooth, deep voice. “What’s going through that pretty little head of yours?”

“How much I wish you would have taken me up on that offer this morning,” she murmured back, her voice dripping with lust like honey. Her hand drifted down his side, delicately slipping under his shirt and resting on his bare hip. His breath hitched, so softly that she could barely hear it.

“Is the offer still on the table?” he asked, leaning down and burying his nose in the crook of her neck. His hot breath combined with the soft, wet kisses he left were driving her crazy.

“Mm, no,” she replied. His head shot up, a bit confused, and she laughed softly. “Shower with me tomorrow. Fuck me tonight.”

That was all Adrien needed to hear. His hands looped under the backs of her knees, scooping her up and carrying her over to the bed. He let his hands wander up the backs of her thighs and to her ass as he set her down, and while he did that she unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. He looked absolutely gorgeous right now, the way he looked at her like he wanted to devour every part of her – Marinette couldn’t get enough.

Marinette looped her legs around Adrien’s waist and pulled him closer. Their crotches collided and he groaned, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment. Marinette exhaled softly and let her head fall back as he grinded down into her. Every part of Marinette’s body was exceedingly sensitive to Adrien’s touch; how long she’d wanted this, even when they weren’t dating. (What? Sure, Marinette thought she got over her crush, but who doesn’t want to fuck their best friend occasionally? Like friends do, right?)

Adrien leaned down and buried his face into her neck again, this time having his teeth graze over the spots he’d left kisses just moments earlier. Marinette yelped in surprise and Adrien pulled back a bit. “Is this okay?” he asked, a certain softness in his voice that sounded lustful and caring all at once.

“Yes, yes it’s okay,” Marinette breathed back. “You just surprised me.”

Marinette felt his mouth return to her neck, once again grazing his teeth over her sensitive skin, and she tilted her head to grant him easier access. He kissed up her neck, stopped to lick the lobe of her ear, then moved to kiss along her jaw. She continued to make breathy sounds of pleasure as his hands began working to bunch up her sweater, leaving her stomach exposed to the cool air. She shivered as Adrien’s fingers ghosted over her skin, and she felt his lips twist into a smirk.

“Shirt off,” he murmured. She sat up and helped him pull it off her, tossing it aside to be found later. Marinette was leaning in to kiss him again when she stopped. Adrien stared at her with a look of awe and lust – particularly at the black lace bra she had decided to wear. He leaned down and kissed at the exposed skin of her breasts, and Marinette tangled her fingers through his hair, arching her head back. Her knees trembled at the sensation, and while she ached for Adrien to give her more contact, more _friction_ , she loved how gentle he was being.

Adrien’s lips moved from one breast to the other. His hand slipped behind her back and he expertly unhooked the bra (Marinette would ask him how he knew how to do that later, she thought), pulling it down her skin. Marinette laid back, watching him with wide, innocent eyes as he took in the entirety of her appearance. She would be lying if she said she didn’t have a good body; she had a strong workout routine with plenty of squats, and her wide hips didn’t hurt. Finally Adrien moved again; his hand rested on Marinette’s jeans zipper, and he gave her a look as if asking for approval. Marinette nodded her head and Adrien carefully took the jeans off, tossing them aside.

He couldn’t keep his hands off her after that. Adrien’s fingertips danced along her skin from her jutting hip bones to the sides of her breasts while he captured her lips for another passionate kiss. In the process, Marinette reached forward and unbuttoned Adrien’s pants, feeling the tension of his dick straining against the fabric even before unzipping them. Something about that made Marinette’s face heat up in a blush and she felt a jolt of lust. Adrien aided in kicking away the jeans without losing contact with Marinette’s lips.

Then Adrien wrapped his arms around the small of Marinette’s back, and in one swift movement he was below her. She sat on his upper thighs, staring down at him taking in the different view. In a tantalizing way, she reached over Adrien’s face to the bedside table and grabbed a ponytail, then sat back on her heels and tied her hair up. Adrien gulped audibly. He reached out to touch her and she gently swatted his hand away, smirking. “You put me on top,” she mumbled, “so now _I’m_ in charge.”

The newfound confidence was enough to make Adrien’s dick strain in his black boxers. Marinette noticed this and palmed the base of his cock through the underwear, and the sound that left Adrien’s lips was both incredibly hot and somehow incredibly entertaining. Marinette tried this same movement again and received a similar response, and Adrien blushed and covered his mouth with his hand. “Mari,” he whined, “you’re such a tease!”

“This is just payback for earlier,” she reasoned with a dark smile. Adrien laughed a little at this and waved her to keep doing what she was doing. He let his eyes fall closed as she continued palming him through the soft fabric, every once in a while letting a soft noise of pleasure escape his lips.

He wasn’t expecting his cock to be enveloped by such a warm, wet sensation. His eyes shot open as he made a noise of both surprise and extreme pleasure, and he found his girlfriend curiously mouthing at the tip. She giggled at his face, keeping the tip in her mouth as she did so, sending pleasurable vibrations through his body. She sat back on her heels again, letting his cock out of her mouth in the process. “Oh wow, that looked like it felt good, judging by your face.”

Adrien blushed and nodded. “Very, very good.”

“Good!” Marinette chirped, and before Adrien could register what was happening next, she had his cock in her right hand and his tip in her mouth. She pumped her hand slowly, letting her tongue encircle his cock, and he groaned, throwing his head back into the plush hotel room pillows.

“Mari,” he said in a breathy moan. “Ngh, fuck…”

Marinette continued like this for another minute or so until Adrien pushed her away. “I’m getting close,” he murmured, “plus my princess deserves some more attention.”

 _Princess._ Adrien saved that nickname for special occasions. Such as the time Marinette ended up in the hospital with a broken foot, and Adrien came to the hospital room with a balloon that said “Princess” and a cute card about how she’d always be his princess.

Like friends do. Did. How did she not realize, really?

In her recollection, Adrien was able to switch their positions again and get his face level with her hips. He pressed soft kisses to Marinette’s inner thighs, even nipping as he got more comfortable, making the girl squirm and giggle and say how it tickled. He carefully looped his fingers in her black underwear and pulled them down her legs in a swift movement. Without hesitation, Adrien’s mouth connected with her wet pussy. He wrapped his arm underneath the back of her knee and lifted, exposing more of the sensitive skin. Marinette moaned much louder than she anticipated and her face burned bright red. She threw a pillow over her face quickly.

Adrien chuckled. “Mari, be as loud as you want. It’s a hotel. The walls are thick.”

Still she hesitated, and so in response Adrien elicited one of those sounds from her again, sucking on her sensitive arousal. The noise was muffled by the pillow, but Adrien was able to gently pull it from her hands and toss it aside. Marinette’s face was red and flustered, her mouth agape in pleasure, and her fingers threaded into Adrien’s hair loosely. He took this as a sign to continue.

Adrien lapped at her pussy, continuing to receive moans and noises of encouragement as he went. Finally she nudged him back, the way he’d done to her, and spread her legs just a bit further. “Condom?” she asked softly.

Adrien immediately pounced at his pair of jeans on the floor and pulled his wallet from the back pocket. Tucked inside was, indeed, a condom – he felt embarrassed for even grabbing it but at this moment, he was extremely grateful. He opened the package with his teeth and came back over to Marinette, who had shifted and was now sitting up. She patted the bed for him to sit beside her, and he did as he rolled the condom on.

She moved so that she was hovering above his erection. He watched her carefully, leaning against the headboard. Marinette grabbed the headboard behind him to steady herself, and he grabbed her hips, slowly guiding her onto his cock. Marinette hissed a bit and took her time, while Adrien bit down hard on his lip to try and keep a guttural groan from escaping.

“Fuck,” he settled for mumbling under his breath.

As Marinette continued to slide her way onto Adrien’s cock, a high-pitched moan left her that sent a shock up Adrien’s spine. The sound drove him nuts to the point that his fingertips dug into her precious hip divots. He buried his head in her neck and pressed sloppy kisses there.

And then she started to move.

Adrien didn’t dare ask how she was so good at maneuvering her body like that. Instead, he settled for enjoying the view and the amazing feelings she produced for him. Once she’d gotten used to the feeling of his cock inside her, she started by rolling her hips minutely, then bouncing a bit, until she was fully riding him. She threw her forehead into his chest, calling out nearly every time she fell back onto him, and he made no efforts to hide the fact that he did the same. She moved faster, her moans becoming more high-pitched and frequent.

Adrien mimicked the pattern of her moans. He groaned at the feeling she produced within him, his groans getting louder and more disheveled as she continued to work her magic. Finally he came, shuddering her name, groaning at the sensation as he slumped down. It took a few more extremely sensitive bounces for Marinette to scream out Adrien’s name, and as she rode out her orgasm, she hiccupped, “I love you.”

“Mm,” Adrien hummed lazily. Both of them winced when she finally moved, pulling away from his spent cock. “I love you, too.”

They didn’t fall asleep exactly like that. Adrien made a bit of an effort to remove the condom and tie and toss it; Marinette got up after about twenty minutes to use the bathroom one last time. Both of them crawled back into bed, naked, fully pressed up against each other.

And the next morning, they did indeed shower together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! The next chapter is back to more plot-progressive content, but there will be more chapters like this one in the future. I'll always leave a warning in the chapter before as well as the beginning of the chapter if the content is explicit. Thank you!


	5. Over a Cup of Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette and Adrien discuss moving in together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thanks so much for your support in this fic! I hope you're all enjoying it - I'm having a fun time writing it!

Marinette and Adrien’s relationship was anything but complicated. They still acted as they did when they were “just friends”, but once they’d begun dating – and especially after they’d had sex for the first time – a distinguishable difference had been made.

For one, the couple rarely slept apart anymore. Adrien’s dad still paid rent on his apartment near campus, and Marinette still paid rent for her apartment just a few blocks away. So, naturally, Adrien thought this was the next plausible step.

Adrien had gotten up before Marinette (for a change) and decided to prepare breakfast for the two of them. Adrien was much more of a tea-drinker than Marinette, and he cursed himself for not buying coffee the last time he was at the grocery store for the girl. Still, he boiled some water for tea; he knew how much hot drinks made Marinette happy in the morning. He coupled them with a few breakfast pastries Marinette had brought over from the bakery the night before. He was busy working on his plating when Marinette padded out of the bedroom, wearing a pout on her lips.

“Oh, what’s the matter, grumpy girl?” Adrien teased gently, coming over to her and opening his arms wide. She gratefully leaned into the embrace and he nuzzled his face into her bedhead of hair.

“It’s cold,” Marinette grumbled. “Missed you.”

Adrien made a soft noise at this. Marinette was always most irritable, yet most cuddly in the morning. He’d learned this especially well when Marinette awoke in the middle of the night to period cramps, cussed up a storm, and threw herself into his arms – just to mumble more cuss words into his stomach. Adorable, yet a little scary. He made sure he had a heat pack he could heat up for her after that.

“Aww, I was gone twenty minutes,” Adrien mumbled back. “I’m making tea.”

Marinette wrinkled her nose. “What kind?”

“Peach. That okay?”

Her features smoothed again. “Yeah. Peach tea is okay.”

For the most part, they sat in silence over breakfast. Marinette gnawed happily on her pastry, Adrien doing the same. Both were afraid to break the comfortable silence they’d settled into, but Adrien finally gave in and cleared his throat.

Marinette glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow.

“I think we should move in together,” he said quickly, straight to the point. The same way Marinette had taught him to do. It made sense, after all. They spent the night, sometimes several nights, at each other’s apartments. Marinette even had a spare set of makeup to keep at Adrien’s house for if she slept in on school mornings (which he learned happens quite often, especially when Marinette has classes that begin before ten in the morning).

Marinette’s expression puzzled at this. Adrien couldn’t tell if she was confused, contemplative, or not interested entirely. Finally, after carefully finishing her pastry, Marinette spoke.

“That’s a big step.”

“Well, of course it is. But we’ve basically been living at each others’ apartments for months now.”

That was true; they were eight months into their relationship, and the couple spent almost the entire summer trading whose apartment to stay at. Most of the time they settled at Adrien’s because the air conditioning was less faulty there. Marinette considered this for a while, sipping her tea carefully.

“Whose apartment will we stay at?” she asked finally.

“Well, that’s the other thing,” Adrien murmured thoughtfully. “Both of our leases will be up this fall. Did you want to, maybe, upgrade? Move a little closer towards Alya and Nino?”

Marinette tapped her chin at this. She had mentioned to Adrien multiple times how much she loved the community Alya and Nino lived in, but it was about an hour away and driving that far for classes didn’t make too much sense. “What about school?” she asked.

“That’s the only concern,” Adrien sighed. “I mean, it’s our last year. Maybe we could put up with it?”

“Or,” Marinette countered, “we could extend one of our leases another eight months or so and stay here.”

“That’s definitely also an option to consider.”

“I think we should talk some more about it before we make any decisions,” Marinette said finally. Her mind was swirling; yes, she’d thought to herself how much simpler it would be if they just lived together before, but somehow now it felt different. It felt like a huge change was about to happen.

Adrien saw the way her face contorted in thought and reached for her hand. “Hey,” he soothed, “I love you. Whatever we decide to do will work out, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

* * *

Over the course of the next month, as their final year of college began, Marinette and Adrien continued to have at least weekly conversations about moving out. Finally they settled on Marinette ending her lease and moving in with Adrien (who also had better heating in the winter, and a gorgeous view of the city). Moving day wasn’t nearly as hard as they thought it would be; most of Marinette’s things had made their way into Adrien’s apartment before then, anyways.

That didn’t stop the couple from looking at apartments and condos closer to Alya and Nino, however. In fact, that became one of their favorite pastimes. The couple would cuddle up on the couch with some HGTV show on in the background and look at houses near them, commenting on what they would change or what they liked. In the process, the two found they had quite different interior design styles – which didn’t bother them, until Marinette suggested putting her living chairs in Adrien’s living room.

Most of Marinette’s furniture that she didn’t need had been donated, but Marinette had two beautiful red living chairs that she absolutely adored. Adrien’s interior decorating style was more muted – he had gray furniture with navy blue throw pillows – and the whole situation turned into what couldn’t accurately be called a fight. Rather, the two had a…wrestling match?

In their regular slue of friendship intimacies the two had collected over the years, play wrestling was one of them. Sometimes when Marinette got bored she would play-punch Adrien, and when Adrien began reacting to these play-punches with grabbing the girl around the waist and hoisting her off the ground, all rules were out the window. In one particularly rowdy play-fight, a table lamp had been kicked and broken and the two didn’t even notice until it got dark and Adrien reached to turn the light on later that day.

This turned into one of those moments. Marinette was standing on Adrien’s living chair, a boring gray monstrosity, as she’d called it, and Adrien made one word of warning. “Marinette,” he said in a mock-threatening way.

“What? Look, so much gray in here! It needs a little color!” Marinette laughed, jumping to the couch. “I refuse to donate my beautiful art pieces that are my red chairs!”

Without another warning, Adrien pounced at her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her towards the ground. She giggled and squirmed in his arms, trying to shove his face away as he blew raspberries in her neck. He laughed, too, and they came dangerously close to knocking over yet another table lamp.

He wrestled her to the ground, pinning her wrists beneath her head. Both were laughing so hard they were out of breath, and the smile Marinette wore made Adrien’s heart melt. Still, he proudly proclaimed, “I won. No red chairs.”

“How about one red chair?” Marinette pouted.

“But then it’ll look silly.”

“Okay, so two it is!”

Needless to say, Marinette loved making herself a coffee in the morning and sitting in her red chair to drink it.

* * *

Their school year finished unceremoniously, despite the graduation ceremony. Both Nino and Alya were in attendance, as well as Adrien’s father and Marinette’s parents. The group celebrated after by going to dinner. On the way into the restaurant, Nino clapped his best friend on the back. “Hey man, I don’t say this enough, but I’m really proud of you.”

Adrien had gotten the degree strictly for his father’s sake, and he hadn’t the heart to tell his dad that he had a part-time job working in a completely different field. What his dad didn’t know didn’t hurt him. Still, Nino’s words made him smile, and he clapped him back. “I’m proud of you, too. Hard to make it as a musician, but I’d say you’ve done it.”

Nino laughed. “C’mon, man, we both know I only do it because I’m not smart enough for college. I wish I could be in your shoes.”

“And I wish the opposite! You’ve got so much talent—”

“Boys,” Alya called to them, “where do you want to go?”

“What are our options?” Adrien retorted.

“Literally anything,” she replied. “Your dad’s buying.”

They ended up landing at an authentic Italian restaurant, one that Adrien and Marinette had visited once before – as “friends”. She remembered the food being spectacular, and that Adrien would under no circumstances allow her to pay for her own meal. Marinette and Adrien had abandoned their graduation gowns in the limousine that had come to pick them up. Adrien was pleased to once again see the dress Marinette had designed for the evening; despite her walking him through the process of the design while sewing it, and seeing her try it on every so often to make sure it came together correctly, it still looked amazing on her.

Adrien, on the other hand, looked just as amazing. He had a tie of every color, and he’d chosen one to perfectly match her maroon dress. Adrien walked in with Marinette on his arm and the diners’ eyes turned to them, causing the couple some embarrassment.

Dinner itself was amazing, just like Marinette remembered. She enjoyed the opportunity for everyone to get together; while Adrien and Marinette had told their parents they were together shortly after they officially started dating, their parents still hadn’t met each other and it was very important to the couple that they become friendly. Which, honestly, wasn’t hard, considering how friendly Marinette’s mother is with everyone she meets. The group melded naturally, and Adrien’s and Marinette’s worries faded soon enough.

Alya and Nino had arranged to stay in the apartment with Adrien and Marinette. Luckily, Adrien’s apartment had a second bedroom; unluckily, that meant Marinette and Adrien couldn’t devour each other after seeing one another in such fancy clothing. Hell, Adrien had been looking forward to the way Marinette’s fancy hair braid would come apart when they had sex, and Marinette had been searching for a reason to get her hands on his tie all day.

The four of them chatted when they arrived back at the apartment, catching up, mainly talking about Alya’s and Nino’s wedding plans. Marinette took Alya’s measurements to begin constructing a wedding dress, and Alya flipped through some potential sketches, placing sticky notes on the pages with designs she liked. In the meantime, Adrien called Nino into the kitchen to grab a drink.

When they were out of earshot, Adrien turned to Nino seriously. “I want to propose to Marinette,” he said sternly.

“What?!” Nino whisper-shouted. “Dude, you have to. Then Alya and I can be your best man and maid of honor too!”

“Do you think it’s too soon?” Adrien asked, a little worried. “I mean, do you think she’d say no?”

“Adrien, I don’t think she’d ever say no to you about anything. Ever.”

He sighed a little. “Okay, okay. I’m just nervous. I already picked out a ring and—”

“Do you have it? Can I see it?”

“It’s a custom order, but here,” he pulled up a picture on his phone of a beautiful tension band with a cluster of rubies. “Do you think she’ll—”

“Love it? Yes,” Nino said quickly. “It’s great. It’s all good. Don’t even worry about it. And if you need a romantic song for the moment…” Nino gestured to himself and grinned cheekily. Adrien laughed.

“’Course, man. Thanks.”

Not long later, the couples excused themselves to their respective bedrooms to sleep. Marinette took her time in the bathroom, carefully plucking bobby pins out of her hair. At some point Adrien got tired of the light being on and came in to help her. With her hands not preoccupied in her hair, Marinette started wiping her makeup off, and the process went much faster. Adrien thought about how lucky he was to have her as he gently unfolded the braid, and how moments like these were almost always better than the sex they could have if their best friends weren’t across the hall.

Though sex then a moment like this would have been ideal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks again for reading! I'm really excited for where this fic is heading in the future, and I hope you are too! I've been working on updating practically every currently unfinished fic I have, because quarantine is getting very boring. Hope you enjoy this work, and if you're curious, I've written some other Miraculous Ladybug fics as well!


	6. Over a Beer Bottle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien and Marinette throw their friends bachelor and bachelorette parties.

Alya and Nino had made the decision to get married in Paris, with a small ceremony featuring only close friends and family. This surprised both Adrien and Marinette; they highly expected Nino’s new lifestyle to mean that the wedding would be huge, with celebrities the couple had barely met and the whole shot. Marinette, frankly, was pleased that they chose this route instead.

Though Alya and Nino were staying at Alya’s parents’ house during the week leading up to the wedding, they spent most of their time at Adrien and Marinette’s apartment. The couple had decided to extend their lease just a bit longer for Marinette to wrap up some final projects before officially becoming a fully remote employee at the magazine company she worked for. This is all to say that, as things often do, everything worked out for the four best friends rather well.

Marinette threw Alya a bachelorette party, of course, and Adrien threw Nino a bachelor party. Alya had insisted on something early in the afternoon so that she and Marinette could catch up that evening, and Marinette had absolutely no problem with that. Even with their near-daily phone conversations, Marinette still missed being able to see all of Alya’s hand gestures when she was talking.

Marinette asked her mom if they could borrow the bakery for a day. Her mother, also invited to the party, said yes – as long as there was nothing penis-shaped present in the party. Marinette laughed, but the stern look her mother gave her said she was dead serious – and Marinette didn’t want to test her fate if she _did_ include penis-shaped party favors. Before sealing the deal, she rolled the idea past Alya, and Alya insisted that the penis favors were indeed unnecessary.

So no stripper, either. Which, honestly, was fine by Marinette. Her and Adrien’s bedroom life was almost a complete one-eighty of their regular life; the sweet Adrien who brought Marinette breakfast in bed was the same Adrien who had pounded her into the mattress the night before. And she _loved_ it.

Marinette got to the bakery early the day of the party and made batches upon batches of cookies, cupcakes, and various pastries. She hadn’t forgotten her “internship” the summer before college at the bakery, when her mom had her waking up early to prepare fresh dough for pastries. She hadn’t loved getting up early, but she loved the end result. Her pastries were delicious.

She barely even needed to focus on what she was doing. Marinette hummed, dancing around the spacious kitchen behind the bakery counter, carefully removing items from the oven and setting them aside to cool only to load another batch into the oven to bake. She had started full on singing at some point, and was currently singing that song _Alya_ by Nino (which felt a little strange, but hey, it was really catchy) when a knock startled her out of her trance. Leaning against the door frame was the handsome devil himself, Adrien, holding a take-out box in his hand. “Hey, bugaboo,” he beamed.

Marinette blushed. “How long have you been standing there?” she asked as she crossed the room, pecking him on the cheek.

“Well, how long were you singing for?”

“Adrien,” she squealed, turning away from him in embarrassment. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her in for a hug, which she gratefully accepted. “What’s the special occasion?” she asked into his shoulder.

“Well, I texted you about an hour ago about grabbing lunch. I figured you were working too hard to answer, so I brought lunch to you!”

Marinette gasped. “That’s too sweet,” she cooed, tucking her hair behind her ear and smiling. “Thank you thank you thank you!”

“You’re welcome, you’re welcome, and once more, you’re welcome,” he teased back. Adrien set the food aside and scooped Marinette up into a tight hug, making her squeal even more. She laughed giddily until a timer went off across the room.

“Oh! Cookies!”

Adrien set her down and she gracefully skipped across the kitchen. Sometimes Adrien wondered if she’d been born in this kitchen; she seemed to know her way around it better than their own apartment. “Mind if I taste-test?”

“Not at all! But try one of those ones,” she gestured to a rack of already cooling cookies. “These ones are too hot.”

Adrien picked a cookie at random. “What kind?” he asked, not waiting for an answer and stuffing his face.

“Those ones are lemon,” Marinette explained. “Those are sugar and those are strawberry,” she pointed as she spoke. “I only made Alya’s top three favorite flavors. Do you think that’s enough? Should I make her top five? Top ten?!”

Adrien laughed. “Mari, three flavors is more than enough. And these are amazing. I’m sure Alya would love nothing more than to eat just your cookies for the rest of her life.”

“Ah, thanks,” Marinette said. “I just want everything to be perfect for her.”

“You know that Alya’s never been one to search for perfection,” Adrien countered. “If it’s you, it’s most certainly good enough for her.”

Marinette grinned at her boyfriend. Adrien always knew just what to say to her. She supposed it was probably because of how many times he’d witnessed her beat herself up over a poor design in class or a burnt batch of baked goods. Still, she thanked him with a sweet kiss.

They broke apart slowly, reluctantly, and Adrien gestured back to the food. “Nino’s party starts at three, so I’ve gotta eat and go set up. That okay?”

“’Course!” Though Marinette was sad he had to leave, she was also incredibly happy that he made time to come see her at the bakery. Truth be told, she had a fantasy of him watching her bake in only her skimpy apron – but that fantasy was for another day. Today was about Alya and Nino.

The couple ate lunch together while the last set of pastries baked, and just as they finished the timer sounded. “Good timing,” Marinette mumbled, just a bit dejected knowing that Adrien would have to leave.

Adrien noticed this and cupped her cheek. “Until tonight, my princess,” he murmured, leaning down and capturing her lips in one last kiss before taking the garbage from their meal and leaving with a wave. Marinette wore a smile even as she plated all the goods she made, thinking about how she was Adrien’s princess.

* * *

The party went off without a hitch. There were only a few women present, and most were either Marinette’s or Alya’s family, but a few of Alya’s friends from work had made the drive and Marinette finally got introduced to the notorious Cindy who always did crazy things. Marinette immediately picked her out because her hair was dyed bright red and orange.

The group of them played some party games – though with the “no penis” rule, Marinette’s choices were limited. Instead she engaged the group in a bachelorette scavenger hunt, where she’d hidden various objects around the bakery: a few fake plastic diamond rings, some cute pink lip balms, and a gift bag for each of the women in attendance. The group seemed to have a blast, though Marinette had to remind the women multiple times that _no,_ she didn’t hide anything in the kitchen. For the most part, the party went as smoothly as Marinette expected; the only hiccup was when Marinette dropped a tray of cookies. Luckily, she’d made double batches of everything in case that happened.

After the party, Marinette and Alya were in the kitchen while Marinette cleaned everything up. Alya snacked on her fourth cookie of the day, sitting up on one of the countertops. “Thank you,” she said through a mouthful of cookie. “Couldn’t have asked for a better party.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Marinette swept the floor while they talked, but still Alya could see the huge grin on her face. “You’re welcome. Only the best for Alya!”

“This is better than the best,” she insisted, waving the cookie around. “These cookies are heavenly!”

“Well, lucky you. I made double batches of all of ‘em. Take ‘em for you and Nino!”

Alya squealed in excitement, making Marinette laugh. They continued to chat about the wedding as Marinette wiped down counters, and eventually they walked out of the bakery with their arms looped around each other. In her free hand, Alya carried two pastry boxes crammed full of cookies and pastries.

When they got back to the apartment, Adrien and Nino were cleaning up the remnants of Nino’s party. Nino had insisted on having the party at the apartment rather than going out somewhere; he’d gotten a few party games on his Nintendo Switch that he wanted to play. Judging by the amount of beer bottles scattered around and Nino’s happy, dazed smile as he sat on the couch, she assumed the party had been a success.

Alya plopped down next to Nino on the couch and Adrien placed a third trash bag on the kitchen floor. Marinette joined him in the kitchen, wrapping her arms around him. He kissed her forehead and held her around the waist, beaming beautifully. “Hey,” he murmured.

“Hey,” Marinette mumbled back. Alya and Nino were now excitedly telling each other about the parties they’d had, and Marinette couldn’t help but think about how much she loved the two of them, how she’d always known they were perfect for each other in high school, and how excited she was for Alya when he asked her to be his girlfriend. She was even happier that she’d been so right in suggesting they were perfect for each other; now, nearly six years later, they were getting married. And they still looked at each other with so much love.

Marinette began to wonder if she and Adrien had that kind of relationship. He noticed her pondering and brushed some hair behind her ear gently. “What’s on your mind?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing,” she replied wistfully. Adrien noticed her staring at the couple on the couch and smiled gently.

“Wedding fever?” he asked carefully, as casually as he could. He wanted to know if Marinette would marry him, should he ask, but he didn’t want her to know his plans. Her mind was elsewhere, however, and she didn’t seem to think anything suspicious of the question.

“Yes and no,” she replied. Adrien broke away from her and pulled the last two beer bottles out of the refrigerator, handing one to her. She popped the cap off using the counter – something Adrien had tried a million times and never succeeded at – and took a swig. He settled for using the bottle opener on the counter.

“Do tell.”

“Well, I’d love to get married,” she started, a slight blush touching her cheeks.

“But?” Adrien pressed.

“But it’s a lot of work,” Marinette laughed. Adrien laughed as well.

“I’ll drink to that. We’re not even the ones getting married and it’s been hectic,” he mumbled, taking a drink.

“Yeah, it really has.”

“Maybe it’s better when you’re in their shoes.”

“Oh, maybe. I guess.” Marinette looked up at Adrien again, wrapping her free arm around his waist. He smiled back at her and pulled her in for a hug.

“I love you, you know that?” Adrien asked after a moment.

“Yes, I know that. And I love you too. You know that?”

“Yes, I do.”


	7. Not Said to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alya and Nino get married!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the continual support of this work! I'm trying to space out the chapter updates a bit to give myself time to write to the fullest of my abilities. I hope you understand!

The morning of the wedding, Adrien and Marinette awoke to Marinette’s phone ringing. She didn’t have to look to know Alya was calling to make sure they’d woken up. She tried to make herself sound as awake as possible and asked, “Hello?”

“Mari, oh god, please tell me you didn’t just wake up.”

“Pssh, what? No,” she grumbled, her voice still slow and gravelly from sleep.

“Oh jeez. Well, okay. I called because the dress ripped. Can you be here by noon to fix it?”

Marinette shot up, causing Adrien to grumble and roll over, reaching around her waist. “It ripped? Yeah, of course. I’ll be there soon.”

“Thank you! You’re a life saver!”

Marinette hung up the phone and immediately threw herself out of bed. Her bridesmaid’s dress clung to her mannequin (of course Alya had asked her to make the bridesmaid dresses too, and Marinette agreed only because she could use them to build her portfolio). Adrien brushed his hair away from his eyes and looked up at her quizzically. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked as she nervously paced the room, grabbing various clothing articles and makeup containers as she went.

“The dress ripped,” Marinette replied, her voice sounding like she might cry. Adrien stood up now, too, and padded over to her. He stopped her in her tracks and planted a sleepy kiss on her cheek.

“It’s okay. Things happen. You’ve got a sewing kit, and you’ll most certainly be able to fix it in time.”

“What if the entire dress falls apart when she goes to walk down the aisle?!” Marinette squealed, throwing herself into Adrien’s arms and dropping everything she was holding. “I couldn’t take it if that happened!”

“Honey, it’s just a small rip…”

Marinette sniffled and Adrien rested his chin on her head, brushing his fingers through her hair as soothingly as he could. He knew Marinette had been under a lot of stress; she had only finished the dress itself a few weeks prior, and he knew she liked to finish things way before their deadline. Marinette had only finished the last touches on her own dress the night before, and Adrien could tell she was both physically and mentally exhausted.

“Hey,” Adrien murmured in a soft voice.

Marinette looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. Adrien softly cupped her cheek. “You go take a shower. I’ll get our stuff ready and we can head over there. Okay?”

She sniffled. “Okay,” Marinette murmured finally.

While she showered, Adrien gathered all of her makeup into her travel makeup bag – he’d learned by now what products she used daily and what she used for special events. He packed her a set of sweats to wear while she did her hair and makeup, and he carefully zipped her dress into a dress bag. Then, he grabbed his own things – his suit, tie, and some hair gel – and packed them into the car before she’d even gotten out. The night before, they’d packed up the other bridesmaids’ dresses and the emergency sewing kit.

By the time Marinette got out of the shower Adrien had taken the liberty of leaving some clothes for her to change into on the bathroom counter, had gotten dressed himself, and had even managed to make some toast for the couple to eat on the way there. Marinette would forever be amazed at Adrien’s ability to work quickly, even and especially in the morning, when in the time it took her to make and eat breakfast Adrien could quite possibly run a marathon.

They made it to the venue by eleven. Alya was in the process of having her hair done by her little sister, who was doing a phenomenal job; Marinette remembered then how Alya said just recently she’d started going to beauty school. Alya greeted her with a wave in the mirror. “Hey, thank you for coming so early!”

“Of course,” Marinette replied, setting down her own dress, her makeup bag, and the sewing kit. “Where’s the rip?”

Alya’s dress hung on a mannequin near the corner of the small room. Marinette had to admit, despite the rip, she’d done a fantastic job. She’d designed a traditional dress for the most part, with three-quarter sleeves of lace and a sweetheart neckline. She personally wouldn’t wear the dress – it wasn’t as traditional as Marinette would like – but she knew Alya would love it, and she still enjoyed the design itself. “I’ll show you when Ella’s finished with my hair,” she replied back with a wave. “Might be a while. Do you want to get started on your makeup?”

* * *

The rip was much easier to fix while Alya was wearing the dress, Marinette had determined, so she waited to make the alteration until Alya was ready to actually put the dress on. In the meantime, Ella had done her hair, and as her other bridesmaid joined them (it was Etta, Ella’s twin – Marinette couldn’t believe she’d forgotten there were two of them) they all laughed together, doing makeup and talking about life.

Etta mentioned somewhere in there that she’d gone away to some sort of boarding school, and Marinette immediately realized her mistake in forgetting Etta existed. Typically, Marinette and Alya would spend time at Marinette’s (mostly for the baked goods) and by the time they started spending time at Alya’s more often, Etta had left for school. Fascinated, Marinette asked her more; as it turned out, the school was extremely prestigious and took quite a bit of hard work to get into.

Alya’s mother came in close to an hour before the ceremony, helping Alya get into her dress. Marinette immediately got to work fixing the rip (apologizing profusely for it, despite Alya saying it had snagged on something and the rip wasn’t Marinette’s fault). Overall the process took less than ten minutes, and the rest of the women left the room to prepare for the ceremony.

Marinette hugged Alya tightly. “You look too good in that dress,” she said with a smile.

“Well, I got it from the best,” Alya responded.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, girl.”

“And I can’t wait to be Auntie Marinette!” Marinette teased in a sing-song voice, and Alya laughed happily.

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” she waved her off, but she couldn’t shake her smile.

* * *

The actual ceremony was beautiful. Alya and Nino decided to have a small wedding, with a little less than fifty people, if Marinette had to guess. The actual ceremony was held at a local park, though it was decked out for the occasion; a white arch had been brought in, dozens of chairs were arranged just perfectly in rows, and there was even a “white carpet” laid down along the aisle for Alya to walk down. The weather was gorgeous, just the perfect temperature, and near the back of the audience were three string instrumentalists playing classical music.

Marinette took in the entire sight with awe. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t jealous. The entire process of having a wedding was time-consuming, taxing, and expensive, but suddenly Marinette wanted a special day for just her and Adrien, and she found herself lost in these thoughts up until the point that one of the ushers told her and Adrien to begin walking down the aisle in a hushed tone.

They walked arm in arm with each other, smiles on their faces as they approached Nino at the arch. Once they made it there, they parted, and Marinette heard Adrien whisper a quick “Good luck” to Nino and pat his shoulder quickly. Then, they turned their attention to Alya.

And wow, was she stunning.

Nino cried, as Adrien called that he would. Marinette owed him five dollars. But Marinette understood _why_ he cried. Alya was gorgeous anyways, but now, with her hair pulled back in a special updo and her makeup done just right, she looked absolutely amazing. Marinette herself had a hard time trying not to cry, but she saw as Alya got closer that she was crying, and laughing, and Marinette’s façade broke.

The ceremony was short. Marinette tried to cling to every word, to relish the moment of her best friend’s marriage. It was at Nino’s vows that she lost her focus, thinking instead of how Adrien would write vows to her, and how she might respond. She was drawn back into the ceremony as Nino pulled Alya forward to kiss her for the first time as his wife. Everyone clapped, including Marinette, and again she struggled to hold her composure.

The rest went by in a blur, for the most part. The group gathered for photos while the rest of the wedding attendees left for the reception hall. The weather was sunny but a bit chilly, and by the end of photos, Alya had begun shivering. Nino draped his jacket over her shoulders, and the photographer snapped a candid photo neither of them were expecting. That photo would become their favorite, however, with Alya smiling up at her husband not with the toothy grin that she’d displayed when the photographer asked her to smile, but with a genuine happiness of finally being married to her best friend.

They left for the reception soon after that in a limousine. Marinette and Adrien sat next to each other. They sought out each other’s touch, first with hand-holding and escalating until Marinette’s leg touched Adrien’s. Alya and Nino didn’t notice their efforts, as they were rather busy themselves, holding each other closely and talking in hushed voices, as if they were the only two people on Earth. Marinette and Adrien didn’t mind.

The reception venue was just as beautiful as the park. They were at a lakeside banquet hall with large windows overlooking the water as the sun set in the distance. There was a large dance floor in the middle of the room with about a dozen circular tables around the edges. Just in front of the large windows was a rectangular table with enough seats for the bride, groom, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen. As they approached the table, Marinette squeezed Adrien’s hand. “You ready?” she murmured, knowing full well Adrien had rehearsed his speech for well over an hour the night before.

“Yes,” he replied with a charming smile. “He’s my best friend. It’ll be great.”

“I know,” Marinette hummed.

* * *

And it was. Nino cried, Alya cried, Adrien even cried; Marinette would have, too, had she not known the entire thing by heart after Adrien rehearsed it so much. After he finished, Nino stood and hugged his best friend. “I love you, man,” Adrien said, just to Nino.

“I love you too.”

Marinette’s speech, though she believed it wouldn’t be, was just as heart-wrenching. Alya had had some time to compose herself before Marinette began, but her composure faltered quickly and Marinette felt she might cry, too. The rest of the audience teared up, as well.

After dinner, the sun had fully set and a large chandelier lit up above the dance floor. Peter, Nino’s friend, stood behind the DJ station, and he picked up a microphone. He cleared his throat and tapped it, making sure it was turned on. “Hello, hello!” he called to everyone. “I’d like to call the newlyweds to the dance floor for their first dance as a married couple!”

A path cleared for Alya and Nino to make their way to the dance floor. Just after dinner, Marinette had removed the train from her dress (a very efficient design, if she did say so herself; it took less than five minutes for just her to unhook it). Of course they danced to the song _Alya_ as their wedding song, Marinette hadn’t expected anything else, but still she cried, leaning up against Adrien and watching her best friends dance across the floor.

Later in the evening, Marinette and Alya were sitting with Alya’s mother and sisters, chatting, when a slow song started and Adrien stealthily swept Marinette away. She giggled as he grabbed her hand and gracefully pulled her to the dance floor. He smiled down at her, holding her carefully, beginning to sway to the music. She rested her head against his chest, letting her eyes fall shut as they moved in rhythm.

“Have I told you that you look absolutely beautiful today?” Adrien murmured lowly, as if making sure Marinette was the only one who could hear him.

“Mm,” she hummed, “I’m sure you have. But tell me again, I enjoy when you compliment me.”

“You look beautiful.”

Marinette giggled and looked up at him. “And you look so, so handsome.”

“I can’t believe they’re married,” Adrien sighed. “Seems like just yesterday Nino was asking me for help writing that song—”

“Wait,” Marinette paused. “You helped write _Alya_?”

“Ah? Oh, you didn’t know?” Adrien laughed. “Yeah. Nino’s bad with sappy romance, so he told me how he felt and I translated it into sweet lyrics.”

“Huh,” Marinette murmured. She supposed even after all this time, there were things she didn’t know about Adrien. And, honestly, she loved that every day continued to be a mystery.

That night, Adrien and Marinette were the last ones at the venue aside from Alya and Nino. The newlyweds’ plan was to travel to Italy for their honeymoon, and they planned to leave the next afternoon. The two wished them safe travels, congratulated them once more, and left for home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! I hope you're continuing to enjoy this as much as I'm enjoying writing!


	8. On a Tuesday Afternoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien surprises Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! I hope you're enjoying this fic as much as I am! Lately my sisters and I have spent our time catching up (both my older sister and I are in college, so it's kind of nice to have some time together even if it's because of quarantine) watching anime! I have so many ideas that I want to write so I'm kind of lagging behind with some of my ongoing fics. I'm really sorry about that! Trying to balance so many ideas is a little tricky!  
> Anyways, thank you so much for reading!

Something about that day was special. Marinette could feel it the second they woke up.

Adrien and Marinette had been real-dating a little bit over two years now, and fake-dating for however long it equated to (they lost track). All Marinette knew was that despite being together so long and spending so much time being so close to Adrien, there was a new sort of feeling that he radiated today that she couldn’t quite pinpoint – and honestly, it made her a bit nervous.

The two had made plans to visit Alya and Nino, who had since moved out of their apartment and into a house. It was meant to be something of a housewarming party, but with just the four of them. Which wasn’t odd by any means, but even Alya and Nino were exhibiting some strange aura when she talked to them on the phone earlier in the week.

Marinette contemplated briefly that Adrien might be breaking it off, that they might be going there so that Alya and Nino could hold Marinette and tell her “it’s okay, you can live here with us, the happily married couple”. That feeling faded, however, when she finally rolled out of bed on that Tuesday and padded into the kitchen. Adrien wore an apron that Marinette had sewn him for his birthday which said “Kiss the Agreste”, and in front of him were plates of her favorite breakfast foods.

“Good morning, Princess,” Adrien cooed. Marinette gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth in surprise. She felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes, as she always did when Adrien treated her like this – which was quite often, so she would have expected herself to be more used to it. Adrien chuckled and walked around the counter, wrapping his arms around Marinette’s waist and kissing the top of her forehead. “You hungry?”

“Yes!” Marinette cried, holding him tightly. How did she say, _This is such a relief, I thought you were going to dump me_ without sounding insane? Adrien slowly let his arms fall and reached over, grabbing a plate and putting it in her hands.

“Here, darling. You get first pick.”

They chatted over breakfast about Marinette’s job. Since university, Marinette had gotten a rather significant promotion (accompanied by a _very_ significant raise) and her name had become something of a big deal for the magazine company she worked for. Still, Marinette didn’t design clothes for a living; rather, she worked as a graphic design editor for the company. She’d been continually applying to other places looking for a clothing designer, until Adrien suggested:

“Why don’t you start your own company?”

“What?” Marinette nearly choked on the perfectly fluffy pancakes Adrien had made.

“Well, I’m making enough right now to support us. You could quit your job and start your own company. If you wanted,” he added quickly. “I know how much you want this, and I know how talented you are. Plus, you’ve got a few famous friends who I’m sure would be willing to get your name out there.”

“I need to think about it,” Marinette sighed. “Oh, wouldn’t that be a dream, though?”

Adrien laughed and nodded. “It’s only been your dream since middle school, Mari. I would do anything to make this happen for you.”

“You really are the best boyfriend ever,” Marinette swooned. Adrien smiled a different sort of smile, and excused himself to shower and pack before they left.

* * *

On the way to Alya and Nino’s, Adrien turned down a street Marinette didn’t quite recognize. Sure, they’d never been to Alya and Nino’s house before, but it seemed they weren’t close enough yet to be turning. Adrien stopped the car in front of a house that most certainly wasn’t the house they were looking for (“look for a big huge backyard right on the water!”), but it was beautiful nonetheless. “I hate to surprise you like this,” Adrien mumbled, “but I thought maybe we could look at some houses on the way.”

“For what?” Marinette asked, completely clueless.

Adrien smiled. “Well, to move into. We said all that time ago that we wanted to move out this way, so why not look around while we’re here?”

Realization dawned on Marinette and she laughed, nodding her head. “Is this what you’ve been so weird about?” she added.

“Huh? Oh, have I been being weird?” Adrien rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I guess, subconsciously, yes.” He placed his hand over his pocket.

They visited a few houses, each time leaving Marinette visualizing trying her hand at interior decorating – which wall would be an accent wall in the living room, and what color would the baby’s bedroom be –

She caught herself in her thoughts and blushed darkly. It was then that she realized she couldn’t imagine a future without Adrien in it, nor did she want to. Of course, it wasn’t like she was thinking about dumping him before, she had just never taken the time to truly consider the distant future. Sure, occasionally she’d talked to Alya about what kind of wedding dress she’d have and whether she would want a boy or a girl first, but somehow she hadn’t officially considered Adrien to be a set part of that.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. A few times she’d contemplated what hers and Adrien’s children would look like, but it had never felt like more than a childish curiosity, the same way a middle schooler might doodle their crush’s name in their notebook.

Adrien wrapped an arm around Marinette’s waist as they stood in a rather large guest bedroom. “Wouldn’t this be a nice space for your sewing equipment?” he asked with a smile.

“Oh!” Marinette responded; she’d been imagining a baby nursery. “I, um, yeah!” The thought wasn’t unappealing to her in any way. In fact, she began imagining where she would place sewing equipment. Honestly, the conversation the couple had had about her starting her own business had completely left her mind in favor of imagining having a baby and getting married. Now that he mentioned it, she thought about what color she would paint the walls, and if she would have an accent wall, and Adrien watched her think with a smile so bright it could contest the sun.

“And over here,” Marinette gestured to the other side of the room, “we could set up your computer desk and a bookshelf…”

Adrien had decided partway through university that he wanted to go to school for writing. After he helped Nino write the song _Alya_ in high school, he couldn’t get the amazing feeling of the finished product out of his mind. Since then, he’d become an amateur writer for a semi-popular editing company, usually getting a stipend of around two thousand dollars a week for past and present works. On top of that, Nino had come back a few times to ask Adrien to help write song lyrics, and for each song he got a small portion of the royalties – which, despite the low percentage, was still a significant amount of money.

However, both of them dove right into work the second they finished university, and though neither would admit it to the other, they missed the long study nights and makeout sessions that came out of being a university student with little to no care for the future. They spent less and less time watching goofy movies and more and more time working, pushing off movie night to another night, and it frustrated both of them equally. Sure, they were well off especially for their age, but at what cost?

That was mainly why Adrien pushed Marinette to start her own design company. Although it would be hard work, and they’d have to put in a great amount of effort in the beginning, Marinette would be doing something she loved just like him. He knew she didn’t enjoy the position she had as much as she would if she were designing new clothing pieces.

They arrived to Alya and Nino’s house after stopping for lunch. The two were outside in the front yard, moving some outdoor furniture onto their spacious porch. Alya nearly dropped a table they were carrying on Nino’s foot when she suddenly let go to wave to her friend, who was running up the driveway. The four hadn’t seen each other since the wedding, and by now it had been a few months. Of course, Alya had called Marinette the second they got home from Italy to tell her all about it, but that was the first topic of conversation as Alya could finally show Marinette the souvenirs they’d brought home from Italy.

The house was enormous, and it was absolutely gorgeous. From the front door, there was a clear view to the back of the house, and there were large windows into the backyard. Marinette could see a large, clear swimming pool. There were still a few miscellaneous boxes in the living area, but for the most part the room was clean and relatively empty. Alya showed Marinette around, finally taking her to the kitchen.

The cupboards were full of Italian wines and pastas. Alya laughed. “Nino went a little crazy when I told him I wanted some food to bring home,” she sighed. “I love him.”

Marinette smiled, recalling just how much Adrien had spoiled her this morning and the conversations they’d had at the various houses they visited. “He’s amazing to you,” Marinette murmured.

Alya nodded in agreement. “He really does mean everything to me.”

Nino and Adrien came in shortly after. “Hey, did you already give Mari the grand tour?” Nino asked. “I’m gonna show Adrien around.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve already had the tour,” Marinette waved them away. “You guys have fun!”

Nino and Adrien far enough away that they were sure Marinette couldn’t hear. They stopped in Nino’s office, which had a baby grand piano, a keyboard, and several expensive-looking guitars as well as a desk and a large computer. Adrien looked around at the room, trying to distract himself; Nino could tell his hands were shaking despite his attempts at acting cool. “Can I see it?” Nino asked finally.

Adrien put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a simple black ring box. He tossed it to Nino and Nino opened it, looking and mock-examining it. “Uh huh, yup, hmm…” he added to the façade, and Adrien rolled his eyes, chuckling a bit. “She’s going to love it,” Nino said finally.

Adrien exhaled. “I hope so. We went house looking today,” he began, “and she seemed a little out of it for a while there. I don’t know what she was thinking about.”

“Probably about you, moron,” Nino sighed. “Either way. She’s going to say yes. It’s going to be great. Stop. Worrying.”

“Do you have everything set up?”

“Yes! Adrien, calm down!”

Adrien tried to steady his shaking hands. He sat down at the piano and played a few notes, being as gentle as he could muster with the instrument, just to change the subject. He’d been a nervous wreck all week, despite knowing almost certainly that if Marinette was ready to buy a house with him, she was ready to marry him. But what if she said no, and worse yet, what if she left him because of this?

Nino watched his friend’s face contort into a pained expression and he sat next to him on the bench. He placed the ring back in Adrien’s hand. “Hey, I was scared, too, even though I knew Alya would say yes. The biggest thing I regret is not having my best friend there to take pictures of the entire thing for me. It’s going to go great – I’ll be taking pictures and Alya’s going to record the entire thing. Adrien, everything is going to be fine. Better than fine, even!”

Nino emphasized the last point by clapping Adrien on the back, and Adrien finally began to snap out of whatever mood he was in. “Okay. Thank you.”

* * *

The four of them had moved to the backyard to chat shortly after Nino and Adrien returned to the kitchen. They sat around a brick fire pit on the patio, until Alya stood and stretched, casually, then said, “Nino and I are gonna go get food ready to grill,” she announced. That was his cue. Alya and Nino left for the house, and Marinette watched them go inside.

“Maybe I should go help,” Marinette murmured, standing as well.

“Actually, do you want to go look around first?” Adrien asked, a bit nervously. This made Marinette a tad nervous, as well, but she didn’t know why.

“Um, can’t we look around after?”

“It’ll get…dark,” Adrien mumbled, though the sun wouldn’t set for another few hours. Still, Marinette figured if Adrien was really getting ready to dump her, it would be best to just get it over with. So she followed him down to the water’s edge.

There was a dock that extended a few meters into the water, which was relatively still. At the end of the dock sat a small bench, and underneath the bench were two pairs of flip flops. Marinette imagined having a view like this someday, to be able to come sit on a dock and watch the sun set along the water. Adrien sat on the bench and patted the space next to him. Marinette sat and he wrapped his arm around her.

“What’s been making you so nervous?” he asked softly.

“I, huh?” Marinette questioned. “You were…you were acting nervous. It made me nervous.”

“Oh,” Adrien chuckled and looked down at his hands. “Sorry about that. I’ve just been stressed about writing a short story for work this week.”

“You could have just told me,” Marinette countered. “I always like helping you come up with funny plots!”

Adrien laughed. “Yeah, the dog getting its paw stuck in a jar of peanut butter story did go over pretty well as a children’s story hook.”

Marinette laughed, as well. She always had fun when Adrien talked about his job with her. He was so passionate about writing – so much more so than he’d ever been about modelling. Back in high school, Adrien hardly ever wanted to talk about what he did outside of school; now, Adrien couldn’t stop talking about how much he loved his job. It didn’t feel like work anymore.

Marinette leaned closer to Adrien, who wrapped his arm around her. Out on the dock it was a bit chillier, and Marinette felt herself begin to shiver. “Hey, are you cold? I can go grab your sweater from the car,” Adrien murmured.

Marinette smiled and shook her head. “No, I’ve got you to keep me warm,” she beamed. He smiled back down at her, holding her closer.

“Hey, Mari?”

“Yes, Adrien?”

“What do you think about getting a house together?”

Marinette pondered this question for a minute. “Well,” she began finally, “I think it’s a bigger step than renting an apartment. But, if you’re imagining a future with me…”

“How could I not?” Adrien replied. He was a bit thankful that Marinette had pointed the conversation this way. It didn’t seem forced then. “You’ve been my best friend for how many years now, Mari? You’re just as permanent in my life as my family. You _are_ my family.”

Marinette beamed at this. “Mine, too. My parents both love you, you know.”

“And I love them,” he replied. “But…” he felt his heart clench. “I don’t want you to be my girlfriend anymore, Mari.”

Marinette felt like she might faint. After what he just said to her, did he really mean that? Was she right that he was planning on breaking up with her? She separated herself from him, not even wanting to look at him. “Are you—”

“Mari, the absolute love of my life,” Adrien stood, then knelt on the ground in front of her, “I don’t want you to be my girlfriend because I want you to be my wife. I want you to be mine. I want to spend the future with you by my side.” He pulled the ring out and Marinette began to cry watching him; not out of sadness, by any means, but out of surprise and mostly, happiness.

“Oh my god,” she whispered.

“Marinette, beautiful, will you marry me?”

Marinette leapt up from the bench. “Yes!” she cried. “Yes, oh my god, yes! I love you!”

Adrien stood and enveloped her in a tight hug, using the hand not holding the ring box to wipe happy tears from her face. Though he didn’t even notice, he had begun to cry, too.

“That was beautiful,” Nino was tearing up himself. Marinette looked up at him holding Adrien’s phone.

“N-Nino?”

“I got it all!” Alya held Marinette’s phone. She had tears in her eyes, too. Marinette began to laugh, suddenly, surprising the other three.

“I’m such an idiot,” she face-palmed.

“Why’s that?” Adrien asked as nonchalantly as he could, gingerly taking her hand to slide the ring onto her finger.

“I thought you were going to dump me.”

“What?!” Adrien cried, nearly dropping the ring. “What on _earth_ gave you that impression?”

“I don’t know, things were weird…”

“Did I do something?”

“Oh, no! Everyone was just so nervous or something, I was worried you’d dump me and leave me here to stay in the guest room so I could get back on my feet…”

“Wow, you built a whole narrative in your head, didn’t you?”

Marinette laughed sheepishly and rubbed her neck, then observed the ring on her finger. “I can’t believe I didn’t even think of the possibility that you might propose…”

Adrien tangled his fingers in her hair and pressed a few soft kisses to her lips and cheeks. “So your first thought was that I love you so much I would leave you?”

“I’m a worrywart,” Marinette murmured.

That evening, the group laughed around a campfire as they ate; Nino and Alya even popped open one of their bottles of Italian wine for the occasion. Adrien flipped through the photos Nino had taken, finding that they were surprisingly good. Despite being so far away, Nino had somehow found an angle where he could capture both his and Marinette’s faces. The video Alya took did not get much of the audio, but the moment was still there, and Marinette rewound the video multiple times to watch.

Luckily, in their new house, the guest bedroom wasn’t across the hall from Alya and Nino; rather, it was downstairs and on the opposite end of the home, and both Alya and Nino insisted they wouldn’t hear a thing should Marinette and Adrien want to “celebrate” their engagement. The two blushed, about to comment about how that was inappropriate, but they’d be lying if they hadn’t been thinking the same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! I really appreciate all of the support everyone is giving me. I've been using these prompts as a way to refine my writing skills, so please let me know if you have any constructive criticism! I'm always looking for ways to improve!


	9. As a Thank You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien and Marinette indulge in morning...activities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies~! I hope you're all enjoying this fic! I haven't come back to it in a hot second because I've been busy posting other pieces on my page as well as FINALLY watching the rest of season 3 of Miraculous Ladybug!
> 
> Just a heads up - this chapter DOES feature explicit content, and it is not really necessary to the "plot" of the fic (not that there's much of one to begin with). So if you're not interested in reading some pretty graphic stuff, please just skip this chapter!

The move happened quickly. Marinette and Adrien’s lease was just about to end in their Paris apartment, and they decided easily not to renew the lease in favor of a beautiful three bedroom ranch house they’d looked at when they visited Alya and Nino.

When they got engaged.

Marinette still watched and rewatched the video on her phone at least twice a day. The second she and Adrien had returned from their trip Marinette had invited her parents and Adrien’s father to dinner with them, and Marinette’s mom guessed the big news shortly after they arrived when she saw the ruby ring. That evening, the group celebrated with a bottle of wine, and Adrien’s father insisted on paying for everything. Despite being slightly upset about the news that Marinette and Adrien were moving out further into the countryside, he was proud of his son.

Marinette’s parents made the drive with them to assist with the move, and Adrien’s father sent a few housewarming gifts due to his busy schedule and inability to help. Alya and Nino met Adrien and Marinette at the house to help move furniture, as well, and most of the large furniture was in the house and placed by dinner. Marinette and Adrien insisted on taking the group out for a meal, and afterwards, they came home and flopped down on their bed together.

Marinette stared at the ceiling. All of this felt sudden, and yet not; there was nothing sudden about the choice to buy a house. In fact, they’d been toying with the idea for over a year, so it felt silly to Marinette that it still felt like they were rushing.

Adrien sighed and rolled over, nuzzling his nose into Marinette’s neck and breathing hotly. “You know,” he murmured, “I’d be tearing your clothes off right now if my arms didn’t hurt so bad.”

Marinette chuckled softly. “I’m too tired, Adrien.”

“Me too, I’m just saying…”

Marinette laughed again and rolled over to face him, pressing their foreheads together. They fell asleep shortly after, still in that position, and somewhere in the night one of them had covered them in blankets.

Adrien woke up first, his eyes fluttering open to see Marinette’s face, inches from his, on his pillow. He smiled sleepily and cupped her cheek, tucking stray hairs behind her ear. She stirred just slightly, her lips falling slightly agape, her cheeks just slightly flushed. She stirred a bit at the contact, and Adrien idly wondered what she was dreaming about as he watched her forehead and nose crinkle. He didn’t think much of it until a soft, breathy moan passed her lips, and he swore he heard her say “Adrien.”

He blushed a little. Was she awake? Would she find out he was watching her sleep? Would he think she was weird?

But her eyes didn’t open. Her cheeks flushed more and she moved again, pressing herself closer to Adrien. He could tell she was trembling, and he wondered if the girl was having a nightmare. He wrapped his arms around her carefully and her breath hitched and she _moaned,_ and Adrien suddenly felt embarrassed that he hadn’t realized what was going on sooner.

They’d had morning sex before, but it never began like this. Adrien faintly recalled the day Marinette had woken him up with her hand in his boxers, and he thought this would make them even. So, he ducked his head under the cover and heard Marinette whine a bit in her sleep at the loss of contact. Adrien moved his hands to her hips and gripped gently at first. He knew Marinette loved when he grabbed her hips and wanted to see how she react. The result was a cute, breathy moan of his name that went straight to his groin. He hummed softly in approval and hooked his fingers in her sleep shorts, pulling them down slowly.

Marinette squirmed a bit, and Adrien was sure she’d wake up, but she just rolled so that she was on her back. He pulled her shorts down past her knees and could already tell she was wet through her underwear; somehow that made him even more aroused than he’d already been by Marinette moaning his name. He leaned forward and mouthed at her lips through the fabric, letting his hot breath ghost over her wet pussy. She let a heavenly sound escape her lips, and suddenly Adrien realized why she sounded so beautiful – in her sleep, she never tried to hide the noises she made.

He hooked his fingers in the fabric and pulled them down slowly, and Marinette made a soft noise of disappointment with the loss of connection. Adrien returned his mouth to her pussy soon after, licking between her lips slowly, and her thighs trembled. He hooked his arm underneath her right thigh, using his free hand to slowly slide a finger into her. He heard Marinette’s breath hitch and he hesitated; was she waking up?

Marinette mumbled something incoherent, and Adrien guessed that she did not wake up. He tested the waters and curled his finger inside her, and Marinette’s back arched up off the mattress. Adrien blushed slightly; she must have been having a really good dream. It took little effort to slide another finger into her, and he curled that one, as well. Marinette moaned again, and she made a noise of surprise. “U-um,” she mumbled, and Adrien could hear the blush on her face.

Marinette peeked under the covers and gasped; Adrien chose that moment to suck on her clit and she had to bite down on her palm to keep from moaning too loud. Adrien gazed up at her through half-lidded eyes and she moaned again, flopping back down on the mattress and tangling her fingers in his hair.

Adrien lapped at her clit while his fingers continued to curl and stretch inside her. Marinette was antsy now, and her thighs were close to snapping shut on Adrien’s head as she trembled with anticipation and pleasure. Adrien traced his tongue against her skin slowly, then sped up, leaving Marinette a moaning mess above him. Finally Marinette threw the covers off him – he was grateful, because it was getting a little stuffy under there – and watched him, her face tinged with pink and her breath heavy.

Adrien pulled his mouth away from her long enough to gaze up at her lovingly. “Good morning,” he murmured in a voice heavy with lust. Marinette’s breath hitched; when Adrien’s voice dropped like that, it turned her on to a degree she hadn’t even known existed before him. He smirked at her and as quickly as his tongue had left it was back, making Marinette arch and moan and struggle to keep her thighs from crushing Adrien’s face.

Adrien added a third finger and Marinette came unraveled. He moved slowly, but she wiggled her hips to gain more feeling – he wasn’t going fast enough for her. Adrien noticed this and pulled his fingers out, making Marinette whimper and even reach down for herself, but Adrien stopped her. He used the natural lubricant on his fingers to slick his cock (Marinette had begun taking birth control shortly after their first time together) and hooked both of his arms underneath Marinette’s thighs, spreading her legs apart. She watched as he aligned himself and slowly slid into her, his cock twitching. It was then that Adrien realized how hard he had gotten and how needy he felt, especially with the glorious facial expressions Marinette made as she watched him slide rhythmically in and out of her.

Adrien draped himself over her as he slid in and out of her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist so their chests were pressed as closely together as possible. “Faster,” Marinette whispered in his ear, sounding breathy and needy and _fucking hot._ Adrien didn’t need to be told twice as he sped up, feeling himself already coming close but not wanting the sensation to end. He stopped to catch his breath, thinking of anything far from sex – cleaning the kitchen with Marinette after having sex on the floor – shit, he was bad at this.

Marinette brushed the hair away from his face gently, knotting her fingers in it. Adrien’s face was contorted as he struggled to calm down, and Marinette laughed to herself; it was sort of an unspoken competition of who could last longer, and Marinette usually won. However, Adrien looked determined today, and she wondered if he might manage to outlast her this time.

It surprised her when Adrien leaned over, still inside her, and rifled through the bedside table drawer. “What are you – “ she began to ask, but stopped with an evil glint in her eye as she saw a small pink device in Adrien’s hand. Adrien wore a devious smirk as he lowered the vibrator in between them, holding it to Marinette’s clit and turning it on.

Now, it wasn’t like they hadn’t used toys on each other before, but this had Marinette seeing stars. She felt every minute movement, her breath catching in her throat as loud moans escaped her practically every time Adrien pressed into her. Adrien wasn’t being quiet, either, not that Marinette had time to focus on what he was doing when her eyes had glazed over in overstimulation and immense pleasure. Adrien watched her facial expressions as she scrunched her face tightly, her moans becoming louder, more high pitched, and breathier. He smirked and slammed his hips against her, leaving her crying out one last time as she came.

Adrien wasn’t long after. He continued to move inside her as she came, feeling her walls clench around his cock. Finally he leaned over her and gruffly called her name, coming inside of her, chest heaving with desire and lust. They took a few minutes to catch their breaths before Adrien actually pulled out of her and flopped down on the bed beside her. Marinette stared up at the ceiling, her cheeks quite red and her body sticky from sweat.

“That was the best orgasm I ever had,” Marinette mumbled casually. Then, after a minute, she added, “I love you.” And it felt to Adrien like a thanks, and he smiled.

“I love you too.”

* * *

The two didn’t officially begin their morning until nearly an hour later, after Marinette had showered and Adrien had thrown the sheets in the wash. Marinette came out in just a towel, and if Adrien hadn’t had such a good orgasm as well, he probably would have ripped it off her right then. Instead, he settled for smiling warmly at her and she smiled back.

“You know, one of these times you could get me pregnant,” Marinette teased. She was scared of the idea herself, but she took birth control and most of the time Adrien pulled out before he actually came.

“Would that be so bad?” Adrien asked softly, almost so Marinette didn’t hear him, and he blushed.

“I mean, we aren’t married _yet_ ,” Marinette murmured. “I don’t want to have to design a wedding dress while I’m pregnant.”

“But what if we had a little boy?” Adrien asked. “We could hold off on the wedding until he was old enough to be our ring-bearer!”

“Or a little flower girl,” Marinette mused in response. They looked to each other and blushed; did Adrien really want to have kids so soon? Did she?

They put that particular conversation on hold as they made breakfast, dancing around the kitchen together while listening to one of Nino’s songs on the radio. “I wrote most of this one,” Adrien murmured. “The lyrics, anyways.”

“So we’re getting paid to listen to it,” Marinette joked, and Adrien hoisted her up in a big hug, laughing.

They had pancakes and sausage for breakfast (Marinette certainly didn’t miss the opportunity to tell Adrien she’d already had some sausage for breakfast, which Adrien blushed profusely at). Marinette ate her meal on the back porch, overlooking a decently sized backyard. The sun was already high above them, and Marinette wondered how much of the day had passed by already; but then she realized she didn’t care as Adrien pulled up a seat next to her, and the two returned to their conversation from earlier. They brainstormed baby names, some silly, and contemplated family trips they might take in the future. And everything felt right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you're all enjoying this piece as much as I am! As always, if you have any constructive criticism for me, I'd really appreciate it if you let me know! Thanks again!


	10. As an Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien and Marinette ask Alya and Nino to be their maid of honor and best man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! Thank you so, so incredibly much for all your support! I very much enjoy reading all the nice comments you've left for me. I do read every single one, and even if I don't respond, I still am grateful all the same that you took the time to leave a comment for me!  
> If you're looking for more of my work, you can find my official writing blog at yamamamakun on Tumblr (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/yamamamakun). Most of my work over there is for the anime Haikyuu!!, but occasionally I also post ML!

As the wedding grew closer, Adrien and Marinette became increasingly occupied with work, frustrating both of them. Adrien had been given the opportunity to pitch a novel – an actual, real novel – to his company, while Marinette worked on both her day job and building a name for herself as a designer. Most nights they crashed into bed, mentally exhausted from the day’s work, and they talked very little about the wedding.

Alya and Nino took it upon themselves to help out where they could, especially after Marinette and Adrien unceremoniously spoiled the surprise that they would be their maid of honor and best man. Though the couple insisted they already had an idea and it was okay that Marinette let it slip over the phone one night because of how tired work made her, Marinette still felt the need to apologize to both them and Adrien over and over.

Adrien constantly insisted that it was okay, they already knew the plan, and still Marinette found herself feeling overly guilty over such a small issue. It bugged her more than anyone, and she couldn’t gather why it bothered her so much.

Even on Friday evenings, notoriously saved for the group to have game night, Marinette found it hard to not apologize to her friends that had already told her so many times it was okay. She thought part of it could be because she wouldn’t have wanted that surprise ruined for her, and she thought she might have already screwed up such a big event in her life.

“Hey, Mari, I can tell by the look on your face that you’re thinking about apologizing for something,” Alya teased. “Whatever it is, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“But—”

“Is this about the maid of honor, best man thing again?” Nino interjected. “Because if so, really, it doesn’t matter.”

“But I—”

“Marinette,” Adrien mock-whined, “I thought we talked about this…”

“I just feel guilty because I wouldn’t have wanted that spoiled for me the way I spoiled it for you,” Marinette said quickly. Nino and Alya blinked, then looked at each other and laughed.

“Girl, do you not remember?” Alya finally asked.

“Remember…”

“Adrien is the one who told us,” Nino added. “Like, a month ago while we were playing Cards Against Humanity. You really don’t remember?”

Marinette’s cheeks flushed. She most certainly did _not_ remember any details past seven in the evening that night. Alya and Nino had pulled out one or two (or four) bottles of wine, and all Marinette knew when she woke up was that either her or Adrien had pissed themselves in the guest bed – or both – and they had massive headaches to push through while they cleaned up the mess. Neither of them admitted what had happened to Alya or Nino and instead shoved their wet clothes into their overnight bags, vowing to forget it happened. And suddenly she was reminded.

Adrien, who was a little buzzed already as they sat around the Clue board game they were playing, also remembered. “Oh, Mari! I remember that night! Remember? When we woke up—”

“We were really, really hungover!” Marinette cut in quickly. “Yeah, I remember!”

“No, no, I’m talking about—”

“The wine? Yeah, it was great, wasn’t it?”

Adrien leaned over and placed his hand over Marinette’s mouth, laughing. “We pissed the bed!”

Nino and Alya burst out laughing again, Alya actually crying because of how much she was laughing. “You thought we didn’t know?”

“Well, we cleaned it up,” Marinette’s face was extremely red.

“Not very well,” Alya countered, trying to stop laughing. “Jesus, you didn’t even put the sheets in the washing machine. It didn’t take long for me to figure it out when I went in the laundry room and the sheets were wet and it smelled like piss.”

“I’m so sorry!” Marinette bowed her head, and Adrien only now felt the urge to be nervous, and he bowed his head in apology as well.

Alya waved it off. “Whatever, worse has happened. I couldn’t stop laughing when it happened, too, because you two drank like your lives depended on it the night before. Honestly, I’m just glad it wasn’t vomit like _someone_ over here.”

“Hey! You promised not to ever speak of that,” Nino whined. This made Adrien laugh; Marinette, however, still felt nervous for some reason.

“Nino got sick in my hair,” Alya rolled her eyes, chuckling. “I was fine with a little pee. Vomit in the hair isn’t cool, though.”

So that wasn’t what Marinette was nervous about, she thought sullenly. If it was, then her worries should be gone, because Adrien’s the one who told them first, right?

In the next few days, Marinette continued to feel guilty, like she was missing something. Then, just a week before the wedding, she realized with a gut-sinking epiphany.

She’d forgotten all about her wedding dress.

She woke up from a dead sleep an hour before her alarm was set to wake her and Adrien. The jolt of her sitting up and the horrified gasp were enough to make Adrien stir, and he reached for her arm gently. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked softly, trying to drag her back down to bed.

She gently pulled out of his grip. “Wedding dress,” she mumbled, and the second her mouth opened she felt like she could puke. She didn’t have the supplies, or a sketch, or anything, really.

This time Adrien sat up with her. “Shit,” he muttered finally. He glanced at the clock and got himself out of bed, stretching a bit and yawning. “Okay, what do you need? I’ll run into town and grab stuff for you.”

“Adrien, this is my problem to deal with, I can handle it—”

“Now when did I say ‘only if you want me to go get stuff for you, my dearest fiancee’?” Adrien could be cranky sometimes in the morning, and a little blunt, and this was one of those times. He blushed and apologized a bit, seeing the shock on Marinette’s face. “Still, Mari. I’m the one who cares most that you have a beautiful dress aside from you, because I’m the one who’s going to be ripping it off at the end of the night. So, again: what do you need?”

An immense pressure felt like it had been lifted from Marinette. The trip into town would have costed her at least half a day, she thought. She threw her legs over the bed, slipped her feet into her slippers, and grabbed Adrien’s hand and led him down the hall.

They’d turned one of the guest bedrooms into an office, and the closet was practically overflowing with materials. Marinette dug through the materials while Adrien watched, and she made a mental note of everything she would need that she didn’t already have.

“Okay,” she said finally, turning to him. “I’ll make a list of stuff. If you aren’t sure about anything, send me a picture and I’ll answer as soon as possible.”

“Right.” Adrien had a determined look on his face. “You write up that list, I’ll go make us breakfast.”

“Sure.” Marinette watched Adrien leave her, and she quickly scribbled down a list of materials. It was crazy, but if she could just get to work on the sketch while Adrien picked up supplies for her, she might be able to make the dream wedding dress she’d always wanted.

In a week. Shit, she forgot about that part of the equation.

Now Marinette understood why she’d felt so guilty, so nervous and jittery the past few months. It was because she’d been working so hard that she forgot arguably the most important part of the wedding – her dress. Once she’d finished the list she and Adrien ate breakfast quickly, and soon Adrien was dressed and jogging out the door to go pick up supplies for her.

She took the time he was gone to sketch out the wedding dress she’d always pictured herself wearing: a semi-traditional gown with a sweetheart neckline and a large, full skirt. She wanted to feel like a princess – which sounded a bit strange when she thought it, but then again, she was already Adrien’s princess, so why shouldn’t she look the part?

Adrien returned about a half hour after noon, with all the supplies Marinette needed as well as lunch from a sandwich shop downtown that the couple enjoyed. In that time, Marinette had been able to begin working on the bodice with the last of her white wedding gown fabric. They scarfed down their lunch quickly, and afterwards Adrien asked what he could help with, if anything.

“You running to the store for me was so much help already,” Marinette replied with a smile. “I’m—” she got ready to apologize, but she’d already apologized so much in the past few weeks that it felt insincere. Instead, she settled for “I love you”, still heavy with the apology of forgetting about the wedding dress and making Adrien run into town for her.

“I love you too,” Adrien responded as an acceptance of her apology, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Now make this dress as best you can, okay? Whatever you come up with will be beautiful, I’m sure of it.”

* * *

The dress Marinette came up with was stunning. It was much easier to make because Marinette had become so used to her own measurements when making other clothes that she didn’t need to take the time to measure herself (or the fabric, really; she’d learned to eyeball her own measurements on fabric, as well). She finished the dress with a day to rest before the wedding, and for the time being she moved her setup to the other guest bedroom so Adrien could still work while not getting to see the dress before the wedding. He complained a bit at this, mostly because he loved working in the same office as Marinette and without her there it felt too quiet, but finally he agreed that he’d rather be surprised by the dress on their wedding day than see how it all came together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! I sincerely hope you're all enjoying reading this fic as much as I am writing it. It's really meant to just be a heartwarming thing because of all the stress surrounding quarantine and such right now. I didn't want to write something angst-heavy because honestly, I just need these two to live a happy life together.


	11. Through a Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette and Adrien get married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! So, as I've mentioned before, this is more of a feel-good story than anything. Hence why Marinette and Adrien are getting married when there's still like, 24 chapters left. I just wanted to write something angst-free (or relatively angst-free) and this prompt seemed to be the best way to do that! Thanks so much for all the lovely comments and support! Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Adrien left the house the morning of the wedding before Marinette could even get up and shower. He was a bit of a traditionalist; they’d even slept in separate beds the night before, following the age-old tradition of not seeing the bride the night before the wedding. That didn’t stop Adrien from wandering into the guest bedroom early that morning (avoiding looking at the wedding dress no matter how much he wanted to get a glimpse of Marinette’s hard work) and placing a kiss on his sleeping bride’s forehead.

When Marinette awoke, it was to the sound of Alya calling her five minutes before her alarm went off. She groaned, wondering how Alya somehow always managed to call just before her alarm, but shrugged it off as Alya’s voice was more of a wake-up call than anything. “Hello?” she grumbled groggily.

“Tell me you aren’t still sleeping,” Alya whined.

“Well, not anymore,” Marinette replied, sitting up and throwing her legs off the side of the bed.

“Good! I’m outside – come let me in?”

Marinette groaned again, and Alya laughed. “Thanks, hon!”

She took her time going to the front door, stopping on the way to start a pot of coffee and comb her fingers through her hair. Finally she swung the front door open to see Alya had brought breakfast coffee and donuts.

“Took your damn time, didn’t you?” Alya teased, welcoming herself into the home.

“Good morning to you, too,” Marinette rubbed at her temple.

“Honestly, I can’t believe you even slept,” Alya said as she set the coffee and donuts on the kitchen counter. “The night before Nino and my wedding I think I got maybe two hours of sleep.”

“I was exhausted after whipping my wedding dress together.” Marinette opened the donut box while she spoke, trying to decide whether or not eating a donut would make the dress too tight.

Alya chuckled a bit, shaking her head. “Of all the things to forget. Honestly, Mari, sometimes I wonder about you…”

Against her better judgement, Marinette shoved the donut into her mouth just as her own coffee maker finished brewing. “Oh, and you thought your coffee would be better than mine?” Alya scoffed playfully.

“You didn’t tell me you were bringing coffee,” Marinette grumbled through a mouthful of donut. Alya laughed.

“Hey, better to have more. I can bring some of your coffee for Nino!”

“You didn’t get Nino a coffee?”

Alya shrugged. “He was already gone when I woke up.”

They enjoyed a nice, quiet breakfast of sugary donuts and sugary coffee. The sun had just begun to rise and was shining through their glass door to the patio, casting a warm glow on the living area. There were two plates sitting on the coffee table, still dirty with the previous night’s dinner. While Marinette had loved living with Adrien in the city, this felt more like home to her than that ever did. She smiled softly, imagining how different it would feel after they were married; if she could go back in time and tell her high school self that she’d be marrying Adrien, she thought the young Marinette might laugh in her face. It all felt so unreal, like a dream she had yet to wake up from for the past three years they’d been an official couple.

“How did it feel when you got married, Alya?” Marinette asked wistfully, staring out at the backyard. She and Adrien had talked about doing some gardening, but for now the yard was relatively empty – just green grass and a small set of patio furniture.

Alya tapped her chin. “Well, Nino and I lived together for years, so it was kind of a relief that I could stop getting shamed by my conservative family for living with a man I wasn’t married to.”

Marinette chuckled softly, knowing that feeling well; her grandfather had never met Adrien for fear of just that. Alya continued to think, also gazing out on the backyard. “Well, nothing changed – I mean, not really. Of course now there’s health benefits and stuff, but we still love each other all the same and yadda yadda. Are you worried about something?”

“Oh, not really,” Marinette mused. Her mind had travelled to her and Adrien’s conversation about having kids, and surprisingly, the thought didn’t immediately frighten her away. She recalled a time where she would have paled and nearly thrown up at the idea of having a child, what with her clumsy nature, but now that she had Adrien she had such an odd sense of calm regarding the idea. “Are you and Nino thinking about having kids?” she asked finally.

Alya laughed, almost nervous (a rare sight indeed) and rubbed the back of her neck. “We’ve talked about it once or twice, but both of us would rather wait a bit. At least until he has another album under his belt.”

“For the money?” Marinette teased. “I don’t know that you guys need the financial help.”

“Well, not exactly,” Alya replied. “He’s still got so much creative potential, and he’s afraid that if he’s got kids running around they’ll disturb his work.”

“What about you?”

“What _about_ me?”

“Do you want kids?”

Alya sighed, looking down at the coffee cup in her hands. Even when she wasn’t trying, Marinette saw right through her. “I really want a little girl,” she murmured, and Marinette finally peeled her eyes away from the backyard to look at her friend. “I’ve wanted kids for a while now, but I know it’s early and—”

“Have you told him that?”

Despite Alya’s confident nature, she had always been delicate around the topic of Nino’s work. Marinette knew that well. Alya simultaneously wanted to punch her friend for being so insightful and squeeze the life out of her in a huge hug. “No,” she admitted finally. “I don’t want to come between him and what he loves.”

Marinette laughed out loud. Alya scoffed. “What?!” she scowled.

“He loves _you_ more than anything, dork,” Marinette nudged her friend’s shoulder, and the scowl on Alya’s face let up. Soon she laughed, too.

“You’re right.”

“I know!” Marinette chirped.

A comfortable silence fell over them again, with only the faint sound of a dog barking in the neighborhood and the ticking of a wall clock to be heard. That, and Marinette’s occasional slurping on the coffee. Alya had the nerve to smack it out of her hands a few times, but she couldn’t do that on her best friend’s wedding day.

Marinette slurped again. _Maybe if I apologize after,_ Alya thought wistfully.

They packed up Marinette’s car shortly after and made their way to the venue, comfortable silence forgotten and instead replaced with obnoxious singing along to the radio. They felt like teenagers again, in their last year of high school, with Marinette and Alya in the front and Nino and Adrien in the back. Marinette fondly remembered the way Adrien would teasingly pull one of her pigtails, then insist it was anyone but him – and where she might have once considered that flirting, she passed it off as being what close friends did.

She remembered all the times she and Adrien hung their heads over the same textbook, despite having two of them, just for an excuse to be close to each other. A few times at the library someone had made an off-handed comment about how cute they were, and Marinette recalled fondly how they would sputter and stammer so hard that a few times their heads ended up knocking together in the process.

God, how far they’d come.

* * *

Adrien nervously fumbled with his tie for the fourth time, running a nervous hand through his hair. Nino came into the room with an iced tea and a coffee, as well as a bag of donuts. (He and Alya were practically the same person, sometimes.) “Hey bud,” he called in a friendly manner, “how’re the nerves?”

Adrien replied with a groan and Nino just chuckled, shoving the drink into his hands. “Treat it like a photo shoot. That might help.”

“Those photo shoots were hell,” Adrien groaned. “This is supposed to be the best day of my life!”

“And it will be,” Nino soothed. “Remember how nervous I was the day of Alya and my wedding?”

Adrien cringed. It would be hard to forget the fact that Nino threw up (more than once) due to sheer nerves on the day of his wedding. Noting Adrien’s strangled expression, Nino continued. “And everything was fine. Better than fine. Still the best day of my life, despite the upchucks.”

Despite his nervousness, Adrien found himself chuckling at that. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m just worried about—”

“Don’t be,” Nino rested a hand on his shoulder. “We’ve been rehearsing this for months. It’s going to be absolutely great.”

Adrien sighed and closed his eyes, trying a breathing exercise Marinette had taught him. (“It’s what I used to do when I, um—was crushing on you in high school,” she had admitted feebly, with a cute little blush that made Adrien wonder how he hadn’t fallen in love with her the moment he saw her. Then again, had he done so, he might not have learned such a handy trick.) Nino clapped his shoulder one more time before turning and crossing the room, scooping up his guitar case. “I’m going to go warm up, alright man? Call me if you need me.”

“Sure thing,” Adrien called back, letting his eyes open. He still felt his nerves threatening to spill out onto his suit, but he kept them in check, thinking about just how lucky he was to have won Marinette’s heart.

* * *

As Adrien stood at the altar, listening to Nino and a friend of his play soothing piano/guitar duets, he realized that, without a doubt, this was the happiest moment of his life.

Nino’s friend took over playing the ceremony music as Alya readied herself to walk down the aisle with him. Her arm looped through his and they walked together elegantly, Nino and Alya both shooting Adrien a reassuring thumbs-up before parting at the front.

And then, he finally saw her.

Marinette stood at the end of the aisle, gazing out at her friends and family. Her mother blubbered when she saw her, her father already wiping tears with the hand not wrapped around his daughter. Marinette laughed behind her hand, a happy lump forming in her throat as she fought back tears herself.

As she got closer, though, she saw that Adrien had tears in his eyes, and she lost her composure. Had she had time to focus on anyone else after locking eyes with Adrien, she would have noticed that Alya and Nino were also blubbering (the former almost as badly as her parents). Marinette had decided against a veil – they were traditionalist, but not to an extreme – and Adrien thanked every god above for her decision. Being able to see the way her face contorted from happiness to the pure bliss when she saw him standing there was a moment he would never forget.

Marinette didn’t have to imagine this moment anymore; she briefly thought back to that hopeless teenager that once wrote what she might say at a time like this, stifling a giggle at her own embarrassing self. Adrien began his vows, clearing his throat and taking a breath, and Marinette finally saw how nervous he was. His hands trembled a bit and his cheeks were dusted with a lovely pink color.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” he began, nerves beginning to melt away as he took her hands in his own, “if I had a thousand dollars for every moment I spent with you that I wasn’t in love, well – to put it simply, I’d have nothing. We may have spent years misunderstanding our feelings for each other, but I’m so very grateful for them, because they’ve reminded me just how much I value your presence in my life, both as my best friend and my soon-to-be wife. You’ve given me so much kindness, support, respect, and most of all, you’ve given me so much love. We’d have probably beat Alya and Nino to the altar had we noticed a bit sooner,” he shot a teasing glance over his shoulder at Nino, who stifled a laugh, “but in any case, I’m immensely grateful that you’ve given me the opportunity to marry you at all. I must be the luckiest man on the planet to have you as my wife.”

Somewhere in there, both of them had felt a new bout of tears, and Marinette carefully wiped at her eyes in order to prevent damage to her makeup. “Well, how am I going to top that,” she breathed, and while a portion of the attendees laughed, Marinette thought stubbornly that she hadn’t meant to joke. She took a deep breath, the way she did when she was nervous, and let her eyes flutter closed.

When she opened her eyes again there was a new confidence in the way she looked and felt. “Adrien Agreste,” she began, her fingers tightening around his hands, “I’ve been in love with you since the moment you held an umbrella for me in the rain our freshman year of high school. I went through high school fighting that feeling, thinking that you were too good for me – the perfect model Adrien you were, but instead I was blessed enough to have you as a best friend. I got to see the _real_ Adrien, the dorky, punny Adrien, and I fell in love so much deeper than I knew I could. There’s not much more I can say besides, well, five years ago I would have doubted anyone saying that we would be getting married today. Not because I didn’t love you, but because I didn’t expect to be so lucky as to marry the man who’s been the man of my dreams since high school.”

Marinette’s parents blubbered, hugging each other close as they shared a hankie. (That would have been really gross, but given the circumstances, Marinette elected to ignore that thought as she saw them in the front row.) Alya and Nino cried, too, no matter how hard they would deny it in the coming years. Adrien barely waited for the priest to say he could kiss the bride; he wrapped his arm around Marinette and pressed a slow, passionate kiss to her lips. She reciprocated by wrapping an arm around his neck, drawing him even closer as the attendees began clapping and cheering.

* * *

Photos took a while, Marinette thought with a pout. She would have been more bothered by it if it didn’t mean she could cling to Adrien to take stunning photos; she was starving, having forgone lunch to ensure her dress would still zip. Alya and Nino didn’t stay the whole time for photos, instead claiming they had something to set up at the reception venue. So for the last half hour or so, Adrien and Marinette took photos alone, the photographer admittedly getting some creatively fantastic shots.

Adrien’s father was the first to greet them when they made it to the reception hall. They were meant to walk in through a separate entrance, but it seemed that Gabriel had been looking for someone, or perhaps something, and bumped into them. Despite his usually cold and stoic manner, he smiled at the couple. “Congratulations, son,” he said in his usual tone, but there was a hint of lightness to it. “Marinette, as my daughter-in-law, I’d like to discuss a role for you at my design company—”

“Father, can that wait?” Adrien asked with a warm smile, and while Marinette looked like she very much would have liked to discuss working side by side with Gabriel Agreste (her own father-in-law), she couldn’t help but agree with Adrien.

Gabriel bowed his head quickly. “Of course, of course,” he said quickly. “But do trust I’ll be in touch the moment you return home from your honeymoon.”

“Y-yes sir!” Marinette nodded quickly, and Adrien chuckled, taking her by the hand and pulling her into the venue.

As they walked into the large area, many of the guests turned towards them and began clapping. Alya ran up and enveloped Marinette in a hug, then quickly pulled her out of Adrien’s grasp. “Come on,” she insisted, “let’s get this train off your dress!”

“What’s the rush?” Marinette replied, though she let herself be dragged off by Alya.

“You’ll see,” Alya winked, pulling her into the women’s bathroom nearby to remove the train from her wedding dress.

By the time they re-entered the reception hall, Adrien stood onstage next to Nino. Nino appeared to be tuning a guitar, and Marinette vaguely recognized a few others – Peter, Nino’s friend and DJ of his own wedding, along with the man playing the piano earlier at the wedding ceremony. Peter sat behind a drumset and the other man stood behind a keyboard.

Alya waved to Nino and Nino nodded, turning and saying something to Peter. Peter held up the drumsticks and used them to set a beat for the five of them onstage. What Marinette hadn’t expected was for Adrien to begin singing.

It was a new song, Marinette could tell that quite quickly. As she listened, though, she heard inside jokes and funny memories of her and Adrien sprinkled throughout, and her heart swelled. She walked closer to the stage, and Adrien detached the microphone from its phone stand, meeting her halfway across the dance floor. Marinette didn’t care about anything other than him in that moment – the way his voice sounded and her inability to help herself from dancing to the tune. He smiled wide watching her sway her hips, reaching for her with his free hand and twirling her gracefully.

Adrien continued to dance with her while he sang, letting his free hand hold her hip for a time then moving to twirl her again. She moved effortlessly, a smile that could expel demons spread wide on her face the entire time. When the song ended, Adrien practically dropped the microphone to hold her again with both hands. “I love you,” he whispered into her ear, pressing against her tightly.

“I love you,” Marinette replied, clinging to him like he might fly away if she didn’t. They stood there like that even as the live music began playing another song, lightly swaying to the beat but otherwise too preoccupied with each other. As cocktail hour came to a close and dinner for the evening neared completion, they continued to hold each other close and sway to the music. It was only when Alya and Nino pulled them to the table for speeches that they finally separated.

Dinner went smoothly, and Alya and Nino both had the audience laughing and crying with their moving speeches. The evening continued without any incidents, which surprised Marinette considering her clumsy nature. She supposed, with the way Adrien remained at her side at all times, she always had her knight in shining armor to rescue her from falling flat on her face.

The rest of the evening went just as magically as the first half had; Marinette’s dance with her father had the crowd cracking up, considering just _where_ Marinette got her two left feet from was, in fact, her father. The dessert table was lined with goods made by Marinette’s parents, and Nino’s live band ensemble played a series of beautiful songs accompanied by the occasional pop hit thrown in for good measure. By the end of the night, there were barely any treats left at the dessert table for Marinette to sneak away and snack on; she settled for a macaron that looked like it had been smushed at the bottom of a tray.

Adrien sidled up next to her, having managed to escape Marinette’s distant family questioning every aspect of his life. “Hey Bugaboo,” he said casually, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Did ya like my song earlier?”

“I loved it,” Marinette replied with a happy sigh. “How long have you been working on it?”

“Oh, just about…how long have we been together?” Adrien tapped his chin and Marinette giggled, shoving him playfully.

“You _haven’t_ been working on that for three years.”

“Ask Nino if you don’t believe me,” he teased back.

“Maybe I will!”

As if on cue, Nino and Alya walked over to them, arm in arm. “How does it feel to be married?” Alya asked in a sing-song voice.

“Great,” Marinette said quickly. “Nino, how long have you and Adrien been working on that song?”

“Well, how long have you two been together?” Nino asked in much less of a joking tone. Adrien laughed.

“I told you, Mari!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Marinette said with a smile.

“To answer your question, Alya,” Adrien turned his attention to her, “it feels the same. Almost like I dedicated myself to Marinette for life the moment I laid eyes on her.”

“How come you never say things like that to me?” Alya whined to Nino, who blushed and rubbed his neck. She laughed and elbowed him playfully. “I’m teasing.”

Marinette’s face was bright red at the statement and a dreamy smile had crossed her lips. Something about that statement had made her fall in love all over again.

The ceremony ended early into the morning, and Adrien and Marinette made sure to catch everyone before they left to thank them for coming. The pile of gifts was much larger than Marinette had expected; then again, Mr. Agreste (her now father-in-law) had supplied nearly half the presents on the table. By the time everyone left, Marinette realized how exhausted she actually was, and she and Adrien made their way back home after helping with some of the cleanup. Their flight for their honeymoon left the next afternoon, but the moment they stepped through the door of their home all they cared about was each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you thank you thank you for your kudos and comments! I reread the comments on this fic quite often to remind myself that I'm doing a good job and I can continue to write this. It makes me so happy knowing so many of you enjoy reading this fic, and I hope it continues to be that way. Thanks again for reading!


	12. While We Lay Together on the Fresh Spring Grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette go on their honeymoon to Italy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! I hope you've been enjoying this story comprised of the most tooth-rotting fluff you can imagine! This chapter is a little short only because I felt like if I described their honeymoon in full it would go on for several chapters. Hopefully you don't mind and you enjoy the chapter!

It was everything Marinette had ever hoped for.

She and Adrien had decided early on in their relationship that if they ended up getting married, their honeymoon wouldn’t be to some extravagant location like the Bahamas; no, they much preferred the secluded rural life of European rolling hills. Now, that didn’t mean that the two didn’t get the best money could buy in those areas; they (Adrien’s father, mostly) spent a hefty amount of money to ensure that. They’d flown first-class to Italy – Alya and Nino claimed a few times that they’d stolen their idea, but gave them a list of sights to see nonetheless – and stayed on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in a small town that mostly transported via bikes or walking.

The weather was beautiful. It never dropped below fifteen degrees Celsius (sixty degrees Fahrenheit) during their stay, even at night, and a slight breeze on the water kept long-sleeve shirts welcome in favor of short sleeves. They planned to stay for nine days initially, but a few times Adrien said he’d like it if they never left, if they hired someone to pack their things and move it all to Italy with them.

However, homesickness took over soon enough, and Adrien no longer insisted they learn Italian.

They did the usual tourist-type things, taking boat tours and bike tours up the mountains and the like, but after the third day they spent most of their time wandering around the town buying local foods and wines. Had they been in a more tourist-trap type Italian city, they’d likely have been in trouble; Adrien noted a few times that he wished the shops sold hooded sweatshirts with the name of the town sprawled across the front.

The place they stayed was less like a hotel and instead resembled a cottage for rent. There were several in the area, arranged on a narrow side-street mostly obscured by brush and trees, and the cottages were far enough back from the street that at night it was tricky to see without a light. The cottage they stayed in had a small bedroom off the kitchen, a living area crammed into a dining space, and a bathroom with a surprisingly large tub. There was a back door leading from the kitchen directly to a patio, and Marinette understood shortly after they arrived why Adrien had chosen such a small cottage to stay in (not that she minded being in such close proximity with her new husband).

The backyard butted directly up to the water, and a large private dock spanned all the way from their cottage to the other three that shared the same back road as their own. It was a little early for tourist season, so the cottage renter had informed them that they had the backyard space to themselves. That was where they spent the most time, sitting out on the white iron patio furniture around the built-in stone fire pit out back. There were paddleboats and kayaks for rent where they stayed, too, but after spending their first evening out on the private dock, the couple decided that they weren’t much for that type of physical activity on their honeymoon.

On their fifth day in Italy, they’d gone to the small shopping center in the morning to find local fruits and vegetables for a late lunch. Adrien purchased a small blanket made by the man who owned the grocery store’s wife, tipping her significantly and thanking both the man and woman multiple times. Marinette almost laughed at the exchange, with the confusion on the couple’s faces melting into pure gratitude.

 _This is most definitely the man of my dreams,_ she thought wistfully.

When they arrived back at the cottage, Adrien opened each of the windows while Marinette began prepping food for a pasta salad and sandwiches. “Lunchtime wine?” Adrien asked sweetly, already digging into the kitchen cupboards; they’d purchased two authentic Italian wine glasses along with a number of bottles of wine.

“What kind?” Marinette hummed back, putting a pot of water on to boil.

“Well, whatever kind you want,” Adrien cooed. “We have practically every kind under the sun.”

Marinette’s face broke into a smile as she laughed, chipper and airy and more relaxed than she’d ever felt. “You’re right,” she said finally. “How about the grape wine?”

Adrien poured them each a glass with care. “How can I help you in the kitchen, m’lady?” He extended himself into a chivalrous bow that left Marinette giggling once more.

“Do you want to make the sandwiches?” she asked finally, her laughter subsiding.

“Anything for you!”

Before he began making the sandwiches, Adrien crossed into the living space. There was a record player atop a short bookshelf, and on the bookshelf was a small collection of records. The cottage renters had mentioned that one couple years ago had left them the record player as a gift, and they loved it so much they purchased a record player for each cottage. Adrien thumbed through the albums carefully, finally settling on some sort of 1940’s American music, then danced his way gracefully into the kitchen.

Marinette swayed to the music as she chopped vegetables for the salad, starting the pasta to boil. Adrien danced around her as he gathered ingredients, gracefully grazing his hand along the small of her back every time he passed by.

“You’re distracting me,” Marinette teased with a gentle lilt in her voice. The smile etched on her face never strayed far, and it betrayed her faux annoyance with her husband.

“Mm, dance with me,” Adrien murmured, reaching for his wife’s hands and drawing her closer. Despite her two left feet, Adrien managed to twirl and dip her without incident. The whole time they peppered kisses to each other’s faces, giggling and blushing like they were sixteen again and this was their first slow dance.

The pot boiled over and sizzled loud enough to draw Marinette from her hazy state of contentment. “Ah shit,” she whispered, turning her attention to stirring the pasta.

Adrien laughed. “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you swear this entire trip.”

“Well because I’ve been having such a good time,” Marinette countered. “I’m just mad this pasta interrupted our dance.”

She turned down the stove’s heat after stirring the pasta, just in time for Adrien to slip an arm behind her neck and pull her into a passionate kiss. She melted into it, like a piece of chocolate in one’s palm on a summer day, sweet and warm. Their lips met together and worked together easily, now; after so many years of knowing each other and so many more of loving each other, it became second nature for their lips to be pressed together like this.

This time, Marinette’s phone alarm separated them. “I’ll drain the pasta while you finish up the sandwiches?” Marinette asked as soon as her brain had recovered enough to form coherent thoughts.

“Sure thing, love,” Adrien hummed in response.

They took the pasta salad and sandwiches just beyond the patio in the grass, shaded by a beautiful tree. Adrien made a second trip into the cottage to grab the blanket and the glasses of wine, and they settled on the slightly sloped lawn, eating together in a comfortable silence that was accentuated by the sound of the waves on the dock and birds chirping nearby.

That day the weather was warmer than it had been. Marinette had put on a sundress that morning with a cardigan that matched the peach-toned flowers adorning the fabric, but she discarded the cardigan even in the shade. It neared three in the afternoon by the time they finished eating, and together they relaxed into the fresh spring grass, laying back to stare up at the brilliant blue sky above.

“Marinette,” Adrien said, cheeks tinged a light pink from the glass of wine. “I love you. I love you so much.”

“Adrien,” Marinette giggled, then sighed in content, “I love you too. I love you so much too.”

Once again a silence settled between them as they listened to the waves crashing upon the dock. Finally Adrien pointed up at a cloud. “Looks like a turtle, don’t you think?” he asked.

“What?” Marinette giggled. “That obviously is a dragon.”

“How so?” Adrien countered.

“Can’t you see the spiky tail?”

“Maybe it’s a turtle with a spiky tail.”

They laughed together, heard by only themselves in their contentment. Marinette imagined what it would be like going back home after an experience like this; while she loved their backyard, they had no beautiful dock to stare out at back in France. But then Marinette remembered Nino and Alya’s dock, and she sighed blissfully, recalling the moment Adrien had proposed to her. She half-wanted to take her phone out and watch that video again, but her phone was on the kitchen counter and she felt no real desire to part from Adrien just for that.

Before they left, they purchased a few souvenirs for their friends – mostly wine – and a bit of pasta and wine for themselves. Adrien stopped one last time at the local grocer to pick up another handmade blanket, which the woman refused to charge for considering how generously Adrien had tipped last time; but Adrien left his payment with the husband, who expressed his own gratitude with a lovely basket of fresh grapes.

The drive back to the airport was forlorn but warm as Marinette held Adrien’s hand in the back of a relatively nice taxi. “Did you have a good time, _mon amour_?” Adrien asked with a cheeky grin.

“Of course,” Marinette sighed in response, a dreamy smile settling across her face. “We’ll have to come here again.”

“I’ll take you every weekend if that’s what you wish,” Adrien brought her knuckles to his lips and pressed a kiss to each of them.

Their conversation didn’t stray from the trip even after they’d landed back in France. Alya and Nino picked them up at the airport, greeting them with welcoming hugs. The ride home was filled with questions about how Italy was, how the food tasted, how the sex was—

—Adrien and Marinette shared a coughing fit at that.

Once they got home, Alya and Nino helped bring bags back into their home, and soon enough, they were alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and for your extremely kind comments! If you're looking for more work I've done, feel free to look for my writing blog on Tumblr (same username - yamayamawrites)!


	13. As We Huddle Together, the Storm Raging Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there's a storm and the power goes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! As always, thanks so much for your supporting of this fic! I'm trying my best to keep a steady plot throughout, but for the most part this story is meant to be just a compilation of fluff set within the same universe. I also decided (finally) that Ladybug and Chat Noir in this universe are fictional, because I waited way too long to introduce the concept of superheroes and if I chose to do so now it would be very, very out of place. Maybe someday I'll brave that territory and write something more hero-centric. For now, though, please enjoy this latest chapter!

Marinette stood by their sliding glass door, mug of coffee delicately cradled in her hands. The sky was dark with the onset of a nasty storm that had been warned on the weather channel for days now. The channel had predicted the rain would start that afternoon, but considering it was nearly nine in the morning and it still appeared as dark as it had four hours ago, she doubted it would wait that long to begin.

Adrien padded across the room behind her, stifling a yawn behind his palm. In the summer warmth, he’d taken to sleeping shirtless, and normally Marinette would take her time appreciating that in the morning; but today she watched out the glass door, worrying her bottom lip in her teeth. “G’morning,” Adrien said through another yawn, wandering into the kitchen to make himself a morning cup of tea.

“Morning,” Marinette called back, peeling her eyes away from the darkening sky only for a second to cast a sleepy smile towards her husband. “You think the storm will knock our power out?”

“Probably,” Adrien shrugged. “Make sure your laptop and phone are charged.”

Marinette hummed and nodded in agreement. “I’ll go plug them in.”

She shuffled around the house, feet dragging in the darkness of the morning. She felt like she should still be asleep, like it was the middle of the night with how dark it was. She plugged her devices in in their office, just in time for a rumble of thunder to alert her that she’d been right – the rain wouldn’t wait.

By the time she got back to the living room, Adrien had sat himself on the couch and was watching the weather channel intently, his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward and watched. He glanced up at Marinette, offered a small smile, then returned his attention to the television. “Looks like they changed their minds about it starting this afternoon,” he said nonchalantly, gesturing to the screen.

Marinette sat next to him. The regional map they showed was coated in a storm, with their town being located almost directly in the center of the mess. “Awesome,” she droned sarcastically, and Adrien wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leaning back into the couch.

“It’s okay, my father is pretty understanding about that sort of thing.”

Shortly after they returned home from Italy, Mr. Agreste kept his promise and hired Marinette on as a senior designer for the company. He tasked her with creating a line of wedding dresses after seeing her own and Alya’s sketches, and most of her work was submitted via a drawing tablet gifted to her from Mr. Agreste himself. However, a power outage meant a WiFi outage, so she wouldn’t be able to submit her latest designs.

“He is,” Marinette agreed, relaxing into the couch. “How about you? I know your boss can sometimes be a hothead.”

“The company is based in the next town over,” Adrien murmured, “so if we lose power, they likely will too. Then they can’t yell at me,” he teased.

They sat together on the couch, watching the weatherman drone on about proper safety precautions that they’d already taken. There were warnings of a flash flood, and with their home being so close to the coast, that became a growing concern for the newlywed couple.

They’d planned on having a game night with Nino and Alya later that evening, but even those two wouldn’t brave a storm of this caliber and called off their plans earlier that morning. Marinette had a stubborn sourness about the whole situation; interrupting her work was one thing, but interrupting her plans with friends was another. Her face must have settled into a scowl, because Adrien leaned over and began peppering her face with kisses in an effort to remove the harsh wrinkles from her face.

“It’s okay,” Adrien assured. “We’ll reschedule our game night.”

“How did you know that’s what I was upset about?” Marinette countered, giving Adrien a fake-suspicious look.

“That’s the face you make when plans get cancelled,” Adrien replied with a shrug.

“You know me so well,” Marinette sighed, leaning her head onto his shoulder.

“I would hope so,” he grinned back at her. “You _are_ my wife, after all.”

It began as a soft pattering against the roof, the way all storms do. Marinette had taken residence on the couch with her drawing pad, her head relaxing in Adrien’s lap as she held the pad above her and sketched. Adrien, on the other hand, continued to watch the weather channel. His job was much more flexible; he had a weekly quota to fill, and he’d already finished most of his work for the week. Marinette was required to submit her progress on a daily basis, and usually that progress was substantial, but with the storm plucking at her nerves she found it difficult to focus.

Shortly before noon, the storm grew denser; rumbles of thunder had rolled through the skies in the distance, but now they were close, and lightning struck outside often enough that every minute or so their living room was lit up with the piercing white of lightning nearby. Marinette retired her drawing pad to the coffee table, opting instead to let Adrien play with her hair while they continued to watch the news. It got boring quite quickly; Marinette suggested Adrien load up a movie while she grabbed some candles and battery-powered lights in case the power went out.

It flickered once, twice during the movie (Adrien had chosen an action movie about two fictional superheroes in the city of Paris), and just as the end credits rolled, the lights went out with a strong gust of wind accompanied by a rattling boom of thunder. Marinette shrieked in surprise, then shook her head, letting her bangs fall into her eyes. Adrien, whose fingers still remained gently knotted in her hair, hummed quietly in disapproval. “Well,” he said softly, “power’s out.”

“I can see that,” Marinette replied quietly.

They remained that way for a few moments until Adrien finally pulled his hand back from her hair, careful of any knots his fingers might catch on. She sat up next to him, letting their sides press together as they stared at the dark television screen in front of them. It had gotten minimally lighter compared to earlier that morning, and it strained their eyes to try and focus on anything for too long. Adrien sat forward and clicked on the battery-powered lantern Marinette had placed on the table in front of them just before they started the movie, and the room illuminated even in the dull light of the lantern.

“Are you hungry?” Marinette asked, staring instead now at the lamp. Adrien gave a short nod.

“I am. How about you?”

“I think I skipped breakfast, so yes.”

Marinette made each of them a sandwich (cut into triangles because yes, they might be in their mid-twenties, but sandwiches still tasted better cut into triangles). The refrigerator hadn’t grown warm yet, but she knew if the power stayed off for too long they’d likely have to get rid of the perishables they kept stored in there.

She set the plates down with a soft _clunk_ on the coffee table in front of the couch. Adrien had pulled out his phone and was looking for weather updates there. “Looks like Nino and Alya are getting some flooding,” he held the phone up for Marinette. Nino had texted him a photo of the majority of their dock underwater, save for the top of the bench they’d sat on when Adrien proposed. They lived in a neighborhood that was about a twenty minute walk to the coast, so the worry of a flood was certainly smaller than it was for Nino and Alya; still, if the rain kept up, they’d have some water in their basement, for sure.

They ate their lunch in relative silence, accompanied only by the sound of heavy rain and occasional thunder outside. “This is really good,” Adrien mumbled once, around a mouthful.

“Because it’s cut into triangles,” Marinette countered, having finished her sandwich already. Adrien covered his mouth as he laughed, nodding his head.

“You’re right,” he said finally.

Adrien did the dishes as a trade-off for Marinette preparing lunch. By the time he returned, she’d turned on some music on her cell phone and was humming along as she went around the living room, lighting candles. The room glowed warmly under the light of the small flames, and all Adrien could do was watch, mesmerized, as the love of his life sang along to the pieces of the songs she knew, humming the bits she didn’t know as well. Her hair was down; he remembered in high school when she kept it in pigtails, then college when it always was swept into a messy bun. He loved those hairstyles equally, but they didn’t even compare to the way Marinette’s hair hung on her shoulders, a touch of a wavy texture having displayed itself as Marinette grew older.

Marinette spotted him looking, and where she might have looked away herself in their early years of being together, tucking hair idly behind her ear and blushing in embarrassment, now she smiled back at him – a smile so warm and gentle that it was no match for the warm light of the candles surrounding her and casting delicate shadows in all directions on her skin.

Adrien bowed to her in that cheeky way he sometimes did, casting a warm smile back at her. “Care to dance, my princess?” he asked, standing up and reaching for her hand.

Marinette giggled. “Of course, my prince,” she murmured back.

Adrien had had his fair share of dancing lessons, and Marinette supposed that was how he made up for her lack of skill. They swayed to the soft sound of Marinette’s ‘Love Songs’ playlist, and the sway became something of a waltz with the way Adrien moved them delicately across the bit of room that they could move freely around. Marinette’s arms wound around Adrien’s neck, his arms dropping to hold her around the waist comfortably. They shared a number of sweet, delicate kisses, singing along together to the songs they knew and humming to the ones they didn’t.

“I love you,” Adrien murmured, his head turned so that his words were uttered into Marinette’s temple.

“I love you too,” Marinette murmured. The rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning seemed not nearly as frightening as they had earlier that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks so much for reading! Your support means everything to me! I'm trying my best to keep updates for each of my fics coming out once a week, but working full time and writing aside from that can get a little hectic. Thanks so much for your patience with me!


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